NAASTH: The Return of Metal Sonic
by Kathryn Christine Starcrafter
Summary: Sonic and Elise journey back in time, even though they may forget their love. Reunited, her father's hatred sets a deal with Robotnik, and Sonic is successfully roboticized. Thought of as a liability, Elise may be the only one to stop him.
1. We Will Be Together

**-DISCLAIMER-**

Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters/themes © SEGA and/or Sonic Team.

'The New Age Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog' © Kathryn Christine Starcrafter/Lumorean Arts.

-**THE RETURN OF METAL SONIC**-

Prologue: We Will Be Together

_The beast called to the distorted heavens..._

_I and my companion answered it with a cry of our own..._

_We attacked simultaneously, striking the crazed god with all our might..._

_I gave every bit of my heart, a new form of strength fueling me..._

_Love..._

_I understand it now..._

_A power that can heal all wounds with merely the warmth from a single kiss..._

_I will tell her, once Solaris is burning in the flames of its own destruction..._

_With this end may there be a new beginning..._

The Sun God's fire once blazed with the souls of a thousand worlds. Now it had been snuffed like a supernova, so close one could almost touch it. There was blackness, Sonic watched as his partner Shadow was consumed by its unforeseen assault. The golden hedgehog's limbs relaxed as the elemental Chaos generated by the Miracle Gems drained from every pore. He expected to fall back to earth, to return to the others, to return to her. But no, the now cobalt furred hedgehog hovered in the blackness like an inverted star.

Another presence arrive in this warped space. Her presence. At first there was confusion. Why? Why was he still hovering in this nothing zone when Solaris had been befallen? Why was she here with him? That was when realization struck as though a lead ball had been inserted where his heart had been. There was only one true way to kill the Time God.

In the distance an orb appeared radiating light as pure as the dawn. It gave off droplets of energy that brushed the hedgehog's fur like the touch of a lover's hand. It forced away the shadows that had once obscured his sight. The two were the only ones that existed in this space.

Elise turned to him, hovering only a few feet from his side. In her eyes there was a look of innocent confusion. "Where are we? Did you defeated Solaris?"

Sonic's heart burned like a smoldering coal. Both turned to the ever enlarging sphere, its circumference threatening to engulf them.

He spoke as a single tear rolled down his cheek, invisible by the light. "Not yet."

An Elise of the tender age of seven stood beside her father in the Chamber of Flames. In the old Emperor's hands he held a golden lamp whose design spoke of the orient. At the center of the object a tender flame flickered gingerly as though content just by being held.

Soleanna's ruler spoke with a tender voice hollowed by age. " This is the infant Solaris, the Flame of Hope." The little fire swayed for a moment, knowing that he was being spoken of. "When he grows a little older he's going to be able to help us, Elise. He will teach us how to return to moments we regret. To rectify past sins and ultimately create a better future."

The little girl glanced at the dancing fire shyly, afraid to ask the undying question pecking at the back of her mind. "Will we be able to see mama?"

Her father's lips curved into a cracked smile. "Yes, my child, we will both be able to see her again." He spoke those words in an exerted breath as the relief of their meaning warmed his heart.

Elise smiled sweetly, watching her father return Solaris to his post upon the altar. When the Emperor withdrew his hands the infant flame stretched towards the retreating individual, crackling as if to ask him not to leave. Taking little heed to the god's request, Hector took his daughter by the hand and lead her away.

Only then did the two bystanders viewing the scene, a blue hedgehog and an older version of the girl, solidify at each side of the intricately carved pedestal. Solaris shivered, startled by the sudden appearances. Elise reached forward, her companion watching every move halfheartedly. At the God's sides did she grip the lamp and bring him to her chest. Solaris continued to shutter. Sonic saw within her watery eyes the reflection of the flame, wishing he did not have to forget.

"This was Solaris, when he was only a child," she began. "It's amazing how such a tiny thing could cause so much harm." Sonic remained silent, focusing on each word that issued from her lips. "This is the only true way to stop him, to prevent him from becoming the Flames of Disaster in the first place. But, if we put him out here, in the past, then the future that has already been created will not exist."

A pause, the air had become heavy with ill tension. Revelations were being formed within her mind at the finishing of each sentence. She understood what she had to do. She knew of its consequences. The only question that formed itself was: did she have the courage to do what was right?

"Our encounter will never have happened." She released a sharp breath, her body swaying unevenly to face him. "You and I will never meet."

Neither could ever imagine those words ever being spoken.

The lamp began to tremble as the Princess's fingers drained of will. "I-To tell the truth..."

Another pause. Everything was happening so fast!

"I don't care what happens to the world!"

Sonic's mind flashed back to all the times he had saved the world from certain destruction. It was nothing to him, just another crazed robot needing to be unplugged. But, there were some times, moments when he wished his personal decision would lay weight. Even so, he never listened to himself. He always did the right thing. No matter how much of a toll it had cost him.

This time was no different. There was no question as to what had to be done. In order for the present and future to be cured of Solaris' flames, the reason must be extinguished here, in the past. Who knew what kind of negative consequence it would cause. There were always two faces to a coin. Currently though, the weight of the now held precedent over all other choices. It had to be done, no matter how debilitating.

But, what could he possibly say to reassure her when he couldn't even reassure himself?

"Elise," Sonic whispered in an attempt to gain her attention.

Her silver, watery eyes turned to him, reflecting all the suffering her soul was churning in.

The hedgehog could think of nothing else to say other than, "just smile."

The effect was not what he had hoped for. Her eyes that had once lead streams of tears now curled in a searing glare.

"Is that all you can say, after all we've been through?" Her words were cracked, on the verge of screams. They bit into the hedgehog's soul like some feral animal. Elise was trying with all her might to hold back any unnecessary actions. But, she couldn't. With a harsh clatter the brass lamp hosting the infant Solaris was tossed to the floor with the outburst, "damn it, Sonic! I love you!"

Elise toppled to the frozen tiles on her knees, clutching her face in shivering palms. For a moment, Sonic was slow in registering her words. Yet there was no questioning what his ears had caught.

"Oh, Elise," he whispered only a pitch high enough for her to hear.

He drew close, heart racing while embracing the human girl in an act of solace. This was the first time he had ever come to her, and it felt... natural. Perhaps from all the times she had held him the action had become more of a reflex. It was an exchange of comfort and warmth and love that neither could resist when given by the other.

"I'm sorry, I never meant to make you cry."

The teenage royal continued to sob onto his soft pelt, silent safe her moans. The weight of all that had to be done had finally come crashing down in the most brutal of manners. It hurt, it really hurt to lose something so precious as a life. Though not in the sense of literal death. It was mental. Neither of them would ever remember this moment happening, any of their moments. What good would it be if the one they loved was alive when they knew nothing of his or her existence?

But, this moment did happen. All of their moments happened. Solaris' death couldn't possibly erase everything! It was Ivo who brought them together in the first place... looking for Solaris... No, there had to be some underlying factor that caused them to meet, and would reunite them in the end. There had to be something. Wait, there was something! It was part of the reason why he had went to Soleanna in the first place, dealing absolutely nothing in any part of Solaris' existence inside the human girl!

There was a faint whisper of hope in the hedgehog's voice. "Elise, look at me." He force her chin upwards, half-erect eyes rimmed with pink glanced at him spiritlessly. "I've never broken a promise to you before, have I?"

Elise waved her head halfheartedly in the form of agreement. No, her never did. He had promised to protect her, to always come when she was in danger. He promised to rescue her from every assault posed from the Doctor, to catch her every time she fell. None of these had ever been broken, so why would he do so now?

"Then, I'm going to make you another promise, one I'll always keep. I promise you, Elise, in the new present, and the future, we will be together. No matter what happens we will be together, forever."

"What?" It was then that her eyes widened in disbelief. "You..." Had he just admitted to sharing the same feelings?

Sonic nodded, one of his gallant grins softly appearing to lighten the mood. "Yeah, and it's not easy for someone like me to admit. I... care for you, a lot. At first, ya know, I didn't think it was possible, human and hedgehog." His viridian irises seemed to zone out for a second in thought to the whisper, "I understand now." He chuckled to himself, making his partner examine him strangely. He turned back once the thought had diluted, the euphoria of the moment causing him to blurt out, "I love you, Elise."

Again, her response was opposite. Her forehead returned to his shoulder, sobbing stronger than before. "But, what does it matter? Neither of us will remember any of this happening! It hurts, Sonic, it really hurts."

Both arms returned to comfort his distraught friend. "I've never broken a promise to you. I'm not going to start now."

"How?" Removing herself from him, the young princess locked eyes with him. Sonic could tell she wanted reassurance, but there there really wasn't much he could give.

So, he shrugged. "I don't know. I just need you to believe in me, like you did when Mephiles took my life. Can you do that again?"

He smiled, and to this Elise could do nothing but nod. Would she actually object to him now, after all that had happened? No, she could never do such a thing to him. The moment when that demon had taken him from this world sent her soul into turmoil. But, he had stayed near, and she had felt him watching her, believing that he would guide her to what had to be done. She would always believe in him, and trust in his judgment. If Sonic the Hedgehog believed they would be reunited, then she too believed.

"Yes," Elise sighed. "You'll find a way." She then gave the faintest of grins. "You're Sonic, after all."

The hedgehog that had remained holding her gave a chuckle, another grin softening his muzzle. There was now little preventing the two from their desires. It was he who came to her first, softly brushing his lips with hers. Elise answered his wish, coiling her arms about his quills and forcing herself to him. Sonic, in return, brought his paws to his lover's back. With one flex their bodies pressed into one, giving both warmness and passion to the other. In that moment the two had shared their first true kiss.

Now, while all this was being done the little flame that had been forgotten was laying across his side a distance away. From his view he had seen and heard all. Though fearful of the two at first, now he held sympathy for their plight. He wish there was no suffering in the world. That was why he had given himself to the aging Emperor in the first place. He had hoped with his powers, and the monarch's seemingly noble ambitions the two could make a better future. But now, hearing their story of what was to come, he knew there would be nothing but chaos.

So, what could he do? If what the girl had said was true he would have to be 'blown out.' Did that mean he had to die? The infant shuttered at the thought, causing some of the oil inside his lamp to leak upon the floor. Now, the liquid that which fueled him was no ordinary substance. Though he was a god, there still needed to be something to support him in reality. For this, the Emperor had made a chemical concoction similar to a physical form of energy. It dripped out in clear blots, coagulating together in the form of crystal sphere. This gave the little flame an idea. Perhaps, even in death he could still help these two at least.

Eventually, the lovers parted for breath, both giddy with the euphoria of the aftermath. But, that soon faded with the remembrance of what was to come. With forced effort Sonic pushed himself from the person who he so cherished, making his way to the dwindling flame that would seal their fates. With a shaking paw he reach down and gripped one of the lamp's sides, his fingers brushing against something foreign. He didn't remember anything being there before, nor did he take much notice to its presence anyway.

The hedgehog then returned to the girl still seated upon the frigid tiles, wiping away her tears. They both gripped each side of the object equally, digits intertwined like an unbreakable web. Before anything could be said or done, Sonic squeezed Elise's shivering hands. Her moonlight eyes were forced to look upon his loving face.

"Remember, I promised," he spoke in a low and comforting tone.

In response Elise allowed a soft grin to brighten her pale cheeks. She nodded. "I know."

His heart burnt. Her heart wept. But, there was still the task left to preform. One final deciding action that would determine both their fates, or mark their destines. Bending forward ever so slowly, one would believe they were returning for one last kiss. But, instead breath was expelled from both their lips, overtaking the diminutive light.

Solaris sputtered, the cavern flickering with his death. The world became blurred, the future resetting. With a _poof_ the scene went black.

There was now only nothingness filled with the thoughts of resurrection, longing, hope, and reunion.

-**END** **OF PROLOGUE**-

Author's Notes:

Only Sonic and Shadow can use the Elemental Chaos generated by the Emeralds. They share the same soul basically. Silver was actually born in another dimension entirely and can not go 'Super' in NAA.

Sally was murdered in the (thus far) fourth fiction in the NAA Timeline.

Mobius (the planet of NAA) is broken up into two halves: the Lands of the Sky(the floating islands) and the Lands of Darkness(the planet's crust). The Lands of Darkness are divided into twelve Empires. Elise's family rules the Empire of Sea-Shore of which Soleanna is at the center.

Her family's last name 'Soliel' means 'Sun Angel' and was the product of combining Sol=Sun with the suffix el=Angel.

The scene where Sonic zones out is him recalling a talk he had with Shadow in another work of mine.


	2. The Sun Festival

**-DISCLAIMER-**

Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters/themes © SEGA and/or Sonic Team.

'The New Age Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog' © Kathryn Christine Starcrafter aka Lumorean Arts.

**-THE RETURN OF METAL SONIC-**

Chapter 1: The Sun Festival

Upon the expansively printed paper being shoved in his face the blue hedgehog read the intricately printed words:

_The Sun Festival_

_Annual, city-wide event of Old-Soleanna honoring the Gods of Time._

_Saturday Only, Everyone Welcome!_

_There will be food, fun, and prizes to be won!_

_Also enjoy the traditional Water Parade featuring the Sea-Shore Empire's princess, Elise Soliel!_

"And, you're showing me this because?" a confused Sonic asked.

Tails tossed the article onto the desk at his side atop anciently dated mail and some old blueprints yet to be patented. "Just wondering if you'd like to go."

Sonic took a moment to flop backward onto an old, wooden chair against the far wall of their long since new HQ on Koko Island. It had been a while since either had visited the place and in itself the vast majority was in disarray. Sonic had always assumed his little buddy was keeping up the place. But, apparently since building his other workshops in the Mystic Ruins and the Sky Caves the yellow, two-tailed fox had had very little time to do so. In truth, the last time either had set foot on the floating island had been since the 'Metal Sonic' incident, long since passed.

Sad but true. Everything worked and apparently the Delivery Craft still dropped the young genius' post here. The majority of letters piling the grimy desktop were a good couple years old. Only the Flier gently crowning the mass had been dated two days prior. Sonic took a moment to think over the question while his friend began dusting off keyboards and sorting through old files-deciding if any were worth a second start.

"Isn't Soleanna near the water? It's part of the Sea-Shore Empire." Sonic cringed.

Tails took a deep breath and blew upon an ancient toolbox, his head being over taken by a cloud of gas-scented soot. Though sneezes and coughs he answered, "it's the capital of Sea-Shore." Tails took a few deep breaths to stop his sputtering before continuing. "Emperor Hector Soliel is the current leader until his daughter finds a husband. She's already of age, but the current law states the successor has to have a partner before ascending."

The hedgehog wasn't bothered by how Tails acquired this knowledge. He seemed to know every kind of law and political correction of all the Empires within the Land of Darkness. It wasn't a complaint, for sure, as the teen-aged fox's quick thinking had gotten them out of plenty of legal scraps during their world travels.

"If it has anything to do with water you should know the answer." Sonic flung both arms behind his quills, closing his eyes as if satisfied with that simple response.

Tails shrugged. "Just a thought, no big deal."

A silent hour went by safe for Tails' shuffling back and forth between dusting and rebooting old equipment. While the fox was physically in a cleaning fit, his partner was in a mental one. Soleanna... Soleanna... Soleanna... Something about Soleanna.

"Have we ever been to Soleanna?" Sonic eventually asked without lifting an eyelid.

Upon being asked his partner was toting a tower of cardboard boxes out into the noonday sun. With a clatter the armload was dropped to his side, sweat drizzling down his brow. "Ya know, instead of sitting there in dreamland you could help me."

Sonic slouched forward, an arm draped across each knee. "Alright, alright, just answer me."

Tails took a deep breath. "Well, I've been there myself, together no, you alone I highly doubt."

"Well, what's it look like?"

An idea sparked. "I'll tell you, if you help clean the place. This is technically your home too."

"Fine, ya got me." Sonic smirked with a playful chuckle.

Clean up lasted till evening twilight, as Solaris and Illumina both shared the sky equally. Plenty more boxes needed to be tossed out into the tropical sands surrounding the ancient, downed plane Tails had converted into a magnificent base. There was more dusting and washing before the two set to chopping off feral vines that had slowly overran the outer hull. All the while the knowledgeable fox spilt all he knew of the Sea-Shore Empire.

Soleanna was the capital of Sea-Shore, itself currently split into two halves. There was Old Soleanna -the original, nostalgic, city by the sea. Then there was its more recent counterpart of New Soleanna. Within Old Soleanna still sits the Soliel Manor from which all workings within Sea-Shore are carried out by the current ruling family.

There really wasn't much else to be said. Like the rest of Sea-Shore it lay by its namesake, the main export being fish and main travel being by boat. The people however, were more rustic and tuned into their ancient bloodlines. This could only be said for the more elder citizens while its youth felt more at home with the modern. As such, New Soleanna was built and with its ascension began the dwindling of long forgotten customs along with a widening gap between fathers and sons.

"What about this Emperor you mentioned?" Sonic asked while taking another swig of cola.

Both anthros sat outside amongst the star freckled sky and humid summer atmosphere. One of the relics they had uncovered from way-back-when included a patio set complete with a round, oak-wood table, an olive-green parasol and a few-mostly intact-chairs. And so, after a good days work they drug out two of the best seats and sat against the dusk with a few sandwiches and drinks to complete a meager dinner.

Tails swallowed a bite of his turkey on rye before speaking. "Hector Soliel is its current ruler while his daughter is in waiting. Like I said. The Empress Elise II, Hector's wife and Elise's mother, died years ago," he explained rather sullenly.

To this the hedgehog was silent. All his life Death seemed to follow like a tattered shadow. From family to friends, there were many he wished he could have prevented from a premature departure. A fact with little solace was that not only his life had been affected by this cancer.

So, the only thing he could think to ask was, "how did she die?"

It was now the fox's turn to claim a moment of silence. "She was killed during the Festival of the Sun." Each word seemed to drip from his mouth like tears. "Many believe she was the target of a paid assassin. I don't remember the whole affair in detail, I haven't read anything about it in, like, years. But, I think it had to do with some new laws that had been passed that not everyone agreed with. I'dun know."

There was another brief pause. Assassination. With that single word deep-seated memories bubbled to the surface of the hedgehog's current train of thought. How many years had it been? Since he had last seen Knothole? Since Sally was murdered? No matter the days, months, years, that moment would always be with him. Haunting him like the faint presence of a leach once clutched to the skin. Tails knew this, and seemingly the conversation had ended, Sonic's curiosity doused.

So to see his friend leap from his seat with the exclaim, "that settles it!" obviously generated a question.

"What's settled?"

"We're going to Soleanna." Sonic grinned, the mistakable aura of adventure beaming from his glance.

The night turned out to be perfection. Warm, but not humid, the sky was like a velvety cape in a blue-violet hue and embroidered with diamonds. Not a cloud could be seen to obscure the luminous moon who had decided to bloom in full. Grand, explosive sparks ignited the sky to form fanciful rainbows of snowy glitter.

Far below great hollers and cheers announced the approach of the royal family. Hundreds of citizens donned in festival garb began to cluster about the bridges and rails in euphoric anticipation. Across the shimmering waterways began the Parade of the Gondolas. Massive, silvery dance floors glided forward as if riding on the wind itself. Upon the front line first preformed the firebreathers, streaming forth billowing crimson ribbons above the crowd. Upon similar vessels came acrobats on tapered high-wires and ribbon-dancers of fanciful skill. There were jugglers and magic acts and even a vast, caged manticore-taming show.

But, the real show was only just about to begin. There came a brief pause before which came a marvelous, streamline watercraft coated an unfailing sterling. Out from its sides jutted thin paddles carved with wing-like rudders. Each long stroke dipped in and out of the murky depths while trailing a pathway of stars from each transcending ripple. As the transport inched forwards its deck split in two. The bow held a vast dance floor atop with twelve ballerinas garbed in sun-yellow leotards pranced in synchronicity to a miniature orchestra set near its opposite end. They twirled in circles and bowed back and forth, pirouettes and glissades and chassés all in perfect phase.

The second half, the raised stern, was were most eyes fell. Curved about the platform was a shapely wreath extending protective, feather-like tendrils about a cluster of undoubtedly important individuals. At the farthest end were four Priests of Solaris, three of which were cloaked in an earthen-brown. The forth appeared to be a hobbled old man in impressive robes of white, symbolizing status among his inferiors. Next there were three more. These lean men were adorned in ceremonial, ivory armor and golden, sphere-topped staffs. Then, lastly were portrayed the royal family, at this time consisting of only Emperor Hector Soliel and his daughter, Elise Soliel III.

The current Emperor was a man of high regard among those of Sea-Shore. Though old and aging, his wisdom in politics had yet to fail. He honored law and order beyond all else and though some of his Judgment could be considered harsh those who were close to him knew he was a loving individual at heart. His build was still strong and stable, angular features outlining omnipotent eyes of azure. Body-length robes of silk nearly obscured all curvature, while overly embellished golden trinkets dangled about neck and gnarly wrists as if weighted down. Even so, one remained raised about his head in acceptance of his people's praises.

To his left stood a vision of beauty to all who beheld her. Slender and leggy, her light skin gave a startling contrast to her fiery mane. Beneath those strands came forth breath-taking irises of sea-gray. Tightly hugging her frame was a knee-length gown of smooth taffeta. Her ornamentation was almost amusingly simple, for a princess. Very little in the way of jewelry or cosmetics.

A loving woman, her selflessness was told of even beyond the boundaries of her future obligation. She had little hand in dealing justice, however, many had learned that she was not so easily cast aside. She would give her life for her country, for anyone she deeply cared for. This sense of altruism had before placed her into situation of which she had not come out of unscathed. She was a princess, after all. But, she would hold strong to her heart even through the darkest nights.

Amongst the gathered citizens there came booming hoots and hollers as Elise rose her hand to greet the gathering. Standing against the crowd two anthros took notice to the parade as well. Since short in stature, they had positioned themselves on an overhanging rail attached to an archway of which only those of their kind could reach. Speaking of which, there was surprisingly few.

The first of the two was Tails, whose buttery-yellow fur had been dyed orange in the light. He glanced down to the apparently uneasy hedgehog who had in-fact decided on the trip. This anthro, a well known hero above, generally stayed out of the reach of anything thought of as wet. So here he had just a bit more freedom. Though, after witnessing just how much water actually existed inside the city, he was now having second thoughts.

"You gonna be okay, Sonic?" Tails snickered.

The cobalt-black hedgehog snarled, "shut it."

He currently hung over the rail by his stomach as if he were about to be sick. Truth be told he was actually quite relieved as it had only been a few moments ago that he had, once again, freed himself of an individual he often referred to as 'the Pink One.' She herself had already been in Soleanna preparing for the festival. Of course, once Amy found out her hero was here nothing could have stopped her from latching magnetically to his arm at every step.

Sonic did eventually perk up once his buddy announced:

"Hey look, here comes the royal family!"

The hedgehog lifted his quills from the cement walkway below them. At first his tired, emerald irises were caught on the frilly dancers aboard the deck. But as the ship moved forward his gaze shifted to the platform at its stern. Then, everything paused. Time just stopped.

With all thought to the wind -per usual- Sonic vaulted from the overhang and dropped to the bridge just below him. He knew his friend had been started by this sudden free-fall, but for some reason all sound seemed muted. As if every second counted in that fleeting moment the hedgehog did what he did best, ran. He weaved in and out of passing pedestrians, halting only once to again view the figure who had suddenly sent his emotions in a whirl. That girl. He could have sworn he knew her. Somewhere. Somehow.

Again he ran, faster than ever. With enough force Sonic shot from the solid stone structure and touched down only briefly on the bow of the advancing ship. In mere seconds he was past the now frazzled dancers and again took to the air. Only this time, there was nothing but a slim stretch of inches between his face and hers.

The rush of wind obviously caught the girl off guard and struck her cold. The force gently took one of the feathers from her circlet and carried it up into the cosmos. Eyes wide, Elise was enveloped in a sense of euphoria. Her heart had stopped, fingers to her lips as if reliving a sweet memory long buried under piles of duty. The only thing that forced her from this state was her father's burly palm weighted against her shoulder. Her startled face shot to his wizened, bearded one.

"Are you alright, Elise?" He questioned concernedly.

It took a moment or two for the fog overclouding her thoughts to process that simple request. "Oh, yes, I'm fine," she finally blurted.

Looking into her father's eyes told her that he did not believe her.

The culprit who had caused all of this had finally ended his impulses at the pinnacle of a nearby spire, overlooking the parade ever-still. Questions swirled through his mind as to why he had done such a thing. Just to see her face? How stupid! Then again, he had always given in to unreasonable desires. But, never had they been for someone of the opposite sex. Not for many years, at least. Just then, the feather that had been forced from her crown caught his eye and diverted his attention. Sonic smiled, watching the frail, downy object rise on invisible winds to the reflection of Illumina hovering far beyond reach. That woman meant something. And there was no way he was leaving this place till he found out what. Water, or no water!

-**END** **OF CHAPTER**-

Author's Notes:

Tails is fourteen years current to this fiction.

Solaris is the God of the Sun and Future Time. Illumina (who's name and character was indeed inspired by the old game Sonic Shuffle which never was converted for NAA) is the Goddess of the Moon and Past Time. They are both sister and brother as well as husband and wife.


	3. Dreams and Reality

**-DISCLAIMER-**

Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters/themes © SEGA and/or Sonic Team.

'The New Age Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog' © Kathryn Christine Starcrafter/Lumorean Arts.

**-THE RETURN OF METAL SONIC-**

Chapter 2: Dreams and Reality

The darkness... So cold... Unyielding... Loneliness stretching on into infinity was all that remained of her world. Within this space one could feel so helpless and scared, both of which had risen themselves often throughout the young princess' life.

Even so, there always came a faint shading of Hope. It came in the form of a golden light just beyond her reach. Soon after came the winds, filled with love and comfort to force the darkness' retreat. In this new world there was joy, embracing her and lifting her. The golden light and warming winds combined to form one single entity. It held her still, in more solid form, with such tender compassion all of the sorrows of the world shriveled away. Slowly glancing upwards she just had to see his face.

Then, when Elise was to learn the identity of her savior came a different light, the light of the world she knew was real. The dream had ended as abruptly as it always did, leaving the young woman in a sense of comforting euphoria. Those arms that had held her so tenderly seemed to linger like a spirit, their indentation remaining on her skin seconds more after his world had faded. It was like waking in a lover's embrace, and in a life were her body had been marked untouchable by politics its presence was a foreign concept. One she absolutely cherished.

All about her the air was draped in a damp, gray veil. Was it morn or had she awoken before Solaris? The petite princes lifted her limp body to the frigid air. Glancing to her balcony off to the side she could see the source of the depressed lighting. This morning really wasn't much different from any other particular morning. It might have been raining, yes, but this was the Capital of Water. Here it showered often, especially in the spring. Those who had lived all their life by the sea viewed the serene downpour as welcome. To them it was a symbol of renewal. To them a good day of rain meant their city was prosperous and healthy.

Elise sighed, fully relieving herself from the warmth of her queen-sized canopy bed. She reached up high and stretched her limber body before trotting across the icy tiles towards the glass doors separating her from the downpour. The sky fell in misty gray sheets, cleansing her home from the excitement of the night before. For a moment she smiled, taking hold of the silk curtains as the memory of her visitor from the festival returned. That face. Could they be the same?

For the moment she let the thought pass with the droplets splattering against the glass shielding. Today was to be a rather frigged day after the warmths of the festival. As such it would be best to dress accordingly. Perhaps a loose, white sweater and a pair of bell-bottom jeans. Some sneaker and a quick comb through her ember hair and she was good for the day.

Elise eagerly trotted down to the first floor and took to the left-most corridor of which lead to the dining room of Soliel Manor. Upon the ebony table was laid many fanciful bouquets of freshly picked flora and fruit, sending ones sight and smell into a tizzy. Thanks to the steady downpour, the windows along the eastern wall, facing the sea, were drawn shut with ivory curtains. Inside the room was draped in hues of gold from flickering, crystalline chandeliers and wall-soldered lamps.

She came forward to the lace draped table and plucked from one of the platinum bowl a ripe apple as red as blood. She took a bit, savoring its liquid sweetness before one of the handmaids came in from a side doorway.

She was an older woman dressed in a velvety robe of deep navy. "Good morning Miss Elise. Is there anything in particular you would like for breakfast?" she twittered.

The younger woman smiled warmly. "Anything is fine as always, though probably something warm would be great, thanks."

The elder woman bowed before disappearing once more, back into the kitchen where she had originally come. Afterwards Elise sat herself at the table, continuing to savor the luscious fruit she held in one hand. For a brief few moment she was content with herself. Bathed in the resonance of the rain upon the windowpanes and the euphoria of the dream that had once again returned to her in the night. She closed her eyes, holding her chin in one palm. She juggled the memory of the festival back and forth with the reoccurring vision of the wind. Both seemed so similar, so familiar, the individuals within acting almost as twins.

Her train of thought was shattered by the gruff words of her father as he pronounced. "Elise, good, you're up. I was hoping you wouldn't sleep in today."

Elise glanced up to the man as he approach from the doorway where she had come moments before.

She inquired dully, "and why is that?"

Elise didn't want to sound disrespectful to her father, but she had a bad feeling as to what he was implying. As of late there have been an astonishing increase of male visitors to the Manor. The reason for this? Well, that wasn't too hard to figure out. Everyone knew that it was high time that their princess -Elise, that is- find a boyfriend, a suitor. It wasn't that she was confined solemnly to the manor and not allowed to socialize with the outside world. Though at times she did in-fact feel like a captive dove in a cage too small for her wings. No, the truth was she was waiting. She just didn't know for who, but she was waiting. He would find her, or she would find him. Formality meant little to her at this point. All she wanted was this single individual that had taken her fancy long since she could remember. When she met him she would know, right then and there.

Even though she had told her father this time and again time he still came with a new gathering of spring rosters as though he just didn't seem to hear -or want to. All the men he presented came from other sections of Sea-Shore than its capital, Soleanna. And all were a pack of pampered nut-jobs. It was impossible for any of them to even fathom what life was like beyond gilded silverware, silk shirts, and imported wine. She hated wine. But still, every few months or so he came baring two or three stallions straight from the races in the hopes that one might take her fancy. No amount of wooing had yet to be even remotely successful.

"Because, my dear," her father began. "The young lord Brandon Jay from Landuc is coming in a few hours time to speak with you." He took a moment and sat next to his daughter. "But I don't think he will make it till much later because of this rain."

"Dad, you know what I'm going to say."

"And I beg of you not to. This is important, to me, to you, to all of Sea-Shore." Hector sighed. "Please just try to find some liking to this one. From what I've heard you and he have a lot in common and should get along well."

"No matter what, I'm still going to say it."

"Ah, but can you not be sure this is the 'one' you've been waiting so patiently for?" He tried.

"I'll know."

With that, Elise rose from her seat and passed into one of the entrances.

"And, where do you think you're going?" the Duke snapped.

"Just out somewhere."

"In the rain-"

"And without your breakfast?" a charming voice spoke through the raise in tension.

Both turned to the elderly maid standing in front of the kitchen door. In her shivering, wrinkled hands was a small platter of heavenly-scented buttermilk pancakes, syrup and jam, some strips of maple bacon, and a large glass of orange juice so cool it dewed the glass.

"That would not be wise," the woman added.

Though her mood was still drastically low, Elise forced a smile and tossed the apple's core she still held into a nearby bin. "Sorry, I'll come back for it later. I promise."

"Elise!" Her father demanded.

She didn't listen, instead setting a quickened pace for the Manor's entrance.

"Get back here immediately!" He slammed a burly fist into the table, jolting up from his seat. "I forbid you to go out today! Elise!"

But his tantrum fell on no one's ears but the maid who still stood with food in hand. "Do not strain yourself, Sir." She shuffled forwards and sat her burden upon a corner of the tabletop. "You should know her well enough now. She is at that age where true love is a fantasy achieved simply by following one's heart."

The Duke did not answer, instead gritting his teeth in agitation. This lowly maid had no idea how true that 'fantasy' really could be. That is, if he didn't stop it.

Elise hurriedly scooped up a thick, fleece-lined jacket and switched to a pair of boots rather than her sneakers. She wrapped about her neck a lime-green scarf which she had had since childhood. Her mother had given it to her, and though it was not thick or weather-proof, she cherished it almost as though a priceless necklace. It had an interesting tale, one that involved both her mother and father and how they met. In that sense she hoped its powers would work for her as well. Perhaps today would be the day. So after taking up an umbrella and greeting a baffled Michael -Commander of the Soleanna Guard- on the way through the gate the teenage girl exited the manor into the stormy winds of the capital.

"Are you sure you want to stay here?" Tails asked his blue friend while clutching a virid jacket to his chest. "I mean, the festival is over, it was only for the night. And it's probably going to rain the rest of the day."

Sonic grinned down at his concerned friend. "Don't worry about it. You know me, I'll get bored and run off to find brighter skies soon enough." The blue hedgehog chuckled and turned to face the source of the droplets dampening his quills. "I don't wanna leave just yet."

The golden-furred fox shrugged. "Alright then. Just remember that Amy's still here somewhere. Though even she wouldn't be out in this dismal weather."

Sonic again let out a laugh. "Yeah, she's probably all snug and warm in some fancy hotel."

"Of which I would rather be right now." Tails shivered as a brief gust slapped icy dew onto his cheeks.

And on that gust came one single word: "Sonic!"

Sonic's fur pricked in goosebumps that had nothing to do with the cold. He knew that voice and the individual that was sure to follow after.

"Whelp, that settles it then! See'ya, Tails!"

And with one great burst of speed a towering wave of rain-water burst forth from the cobbled road and collided harshly with the two-tailed fox standing idly by. Now officially drench, Tails shook himself and shivered with teeth chattering together like pieces of chalk.

"Hey, Tails! You look horrible! Have you seen Sonic? I could have sworn he was just here."

He glanced to his side, ears pasted against his scalp and frigid arms clamped to his chest. In his line of sight was a pink, female hedgehog decked out in a full length, duck-yellow rain suit with an umbrella, boots and hat to match. She beamed down at him, waiting anxiously for some kind of response.

Tails took a moment in thought, then grinned mischievously. "He was just with me, told me he was going to stop by one of the shops and pick you up something nice to say sorry for last night."

"What, really?" she swooned.

"Yeah," he grumbled, "he went that-a-way." Tails gave a brief nod in the direction which the blur had taken.

"Gee, thanks!" Amy pronounced, trotting like a giddy pony. "Oh, and here." She forced her umbrella into one of his paws. "I think you need this more than I do."

She left him then with one of her petite laughs fading into the distant gloom. He watched her for a few seconds, chasing after the unseen object of her affection. If this didn't get Sonic back for splashing him, nothing would. Though this sad play of events was getting ridiculous. Either Sonic would have to go out on a date with 'The Pink One' and find some kind of feelings for her, or just get it over with and tell her straight out that he didn't feel the same as she did. Either was just as unlikely. Tails had noticed that 'Love,' in the hedgehog's eyes, was a fickle thing that he had missed out on many years ago. Sonic no longer believed he could handle such an emotion again -not after Sally. Though Tails couldn't lie and say he didn't sympathize.

The drenched fox sighed and shivered once more. Propping Amy's umbrella against his shoulder, he headed off to find a nice hotel with perhaps a hot tub or at least a warm bath in which he could soak the chills away along with the day's grievances.

The princess Elise set her burgundy Falcon in one of the many public parks scattered about the city. Though she preferred to walk the distance from the manor in this weather it would have been suicide. So, she left her hovercraft and aimlessly wandered into the shops and stands that had been disbanded for a day or two more after the holiday. She didn't know where she was going or even what to do. Most likely all her friends were inside, safe and warm. While she was cold, and hungry, and -for lack of a better word- depressed.

Most likely it was her father's pestering, which had started once she had turned thirteen -could have even been younger for all she could remember. Why was he so adamant about finding her a husband? And why so early? She was only seventeen! Elise let the thought pass as she turned to face skyward. Through her clear, plastic umbrella the clouds appeared twisted in their gray-black gloom. Perfectly they reflected her mood. She halted her trek, hypnotized by the silverly droplets plunking and splattering just above her head before streaming down to collect about her feet. Elise sighed, there was no point in going out in this weather. Just to spite her father? No, that wouldn't work. He would just shrug it off and continue his endless search for her Perfect Suitor. Well, at least if she stayed away long enough she wouldn't have to meet the gathering waiting for her back home. That was the only thing that crept a smile to her chilled cheeks.

However, in an instant all thoughts were canceled as a force as swift as a cannonball collided with her abdomen. All breath left her lungs, umbrella flying free in the up-cast as her body toppled backwards along with whatever had struck her. Both figures yelped upon connection with both the other and the street turned canal. With a great splash Elise and her newly met acquaintance lay sprawled against one another on the soiled ground. It took a moment or two before either could register what had exactly happened. Even so, the smaller figure was the first to regain himself. The blue hedgehog lifted himself off of the woman, dashing away for a second to vault into the air and snatch the drifting object that had been flung from her hand.

In another moment he was at her side again. "Geez, sorry about that. Guess that's what I get for watching where I had come and not where I was going." Then, he chuckled.

That laugh! Elise, whose eyelids had remained fixed to one another, suddenly shot open. Silvery irises widened, viewing a white gloved paw which was being presented to her. She never spoke.

"Hey, you alright? I didn't hurt you did I?" Sonic asked concernedly.

Elise regained herself. "No, no." She shrugged, taking his offer and allowing him to help her to a stand. "It was probably partially my fault for zoning out and not really paying attention either."

The two shared a laugh before actually examining the other. They both knew who the other was, though they had never officially met face to face.

Sonic the Hedgehog, widely known hero.

Elise Soliel III, Heir to the Sea-Shore Empire.

So, would introductions be adequate?

Sonic withdrew his one paw, which had seemed to remain affixed to hers for that brief second of acknowledgment. "Oh, here."

He brought his other forward. Within its grasp clutched the ivory handle of the princess's umbrella.

"Thank you." She took it tentatively, allowing that third touch to last a slight bit longer.

Though unneeded, the hedgehog proclaimed, "the name's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog"

The young woman nodded before giving a light bow. "I'm Elise. Pleased to meet you."

And again they touched to shake, paw to hand, in a warm greeting despite the abominable circumstances. They released one another as yet another icy breeze blew past. Sonic shivered in his fur, attempting in vain to make the weakness unseen. Elise noticed, and frowned. He had nothing save his fur to starve off the cold, while she remained bundled in expensive wares. To this she folded up her umbrella and placed it into her pocket, leaving both hands to grasp the cloth knotted to her neck.

"You must be cold," she softly said.

In typical fashion, Sonic shrugged off the statement. "Nah, I'm fine, really."

But, his words were cut short from a brush of warmth being encircled across his neck. His emerald eyes short open to view the woman who had crouched down to his level, merely an inch from his face, attaching her own garment to him.

"Here." She began kindly, her eyes fixed to it and not him, a hot blush on her cheeks. "It's not much, but, it's supposed to be good luck."

Sonic drew in a breath to contradict her. However, the words that followed were not his own.

"Ah-ha! I see you! Wait up!"

His spines prickled up again from both fear and annoyance. Why here? Why now? How did she find him? Damn it, Tails!

"Sorry, Elise," he stuttered, forcing himself unwillingly away from her grasp. "Gotta go!" The young woman stood herself. Watching him dash into the thickening fog, she saw his blue quills turn back to her with the words, "bye!" and a brief wave of a single gloved paw.

Though the acknowledgment was a simple one a feeling of contentment began to rise in her chest like steam from a boiling kettle of water being prepared for her tea. She couldn't help but smile from this, a petite hand raising in the air to see him on his way.

Of course, that feeling of euphoria quickly faded as another individual made her presence known. A pink hedgehog rushed past, hardly noticing the girl she had nearly swiped out of the way.

"Get back here!" She heard the anthro yell into the distance. "Why do you always have to play so hard to get?"

Elise remained where she stood, staring blankly into the distance where the two had been consumed in the drapery of gray. For reasons unbeknownst to her she frowned, the nip of the gloom rearing its ugly head once again. The rains had stopped but still all was deep and melancholy. Yet another forceful gust blew past sending a shiver down her spine and forcing her to clutched fiercely to her jacket.

Now, she just wanted to go home...

-**END** **OF CHAPTER**-

Author's Notes:

The scene with Sonic and Elise and the umbrella was inspired by a beautiful image done by the fantastic artist Orin. Sad to say, she no longer does much STH fanart -if any at all.


	4. Secrets in the Night

**-DISCLAIMER-**

Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters/themes © SEGA and/or Sonic Team.

'The New Age Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog' © Kathryn Christine Starcrafter/Lumorean Arts.

**-THE RETURN OF METAL SONIC-**

Chapter 3: Secrets in the Night

Three days had gone past since their meeting. Three very dull, confusing, drawn-out days it had seemed. And during every single one of those there had been only one thing on the minds of a blue hedgehog and a young princess. Their meeting, that brief exchange of words had germinated and bloomed into thoughts of 'What If...'

That rainy day Amy -the Pink One- had been his only reason for abandoning the shy yet humble human woman. Sonic, after once again loosing his shadow, had done a complete one-eighty in a desperate and knowingly futile attempt at relocating the individual he had been forced away from. To no avail. Obviously she had gone to seek shelter, something he should have done. Was it worth catching the flu for trying to find someone -a girl no less- out in the rain? After that he finally decided to head indoors for the day. There was also the fact that the other girl on his brain had finally latched herself to him while he had been preoccupied by his thoughts. After that Amy had gleefully forced him into a glorified hotel that overcharged for every service that would have normally been complimentary at any other.

Elise herself had in fact headed home. Thankfully the suitor her father had called in never did show. Her mood had even lifted enough to devour two serving of those pancakes she had missed from her childish tantrum. No, instead the man came the next morning in a chariot drawn by four milk-white equines adorned with brindles of gold and pearls. Well, apparently they did share a love of shells and animals. But, that was about it. This Brandon Jay of Landuc marked himself little higher than all those before him. Tall, muscular, blond-haired and blue-eyed, every single generic Damsel-in-Distress would be automatically swept off her feet in adoration. Elise, however, was not your everyday defenseless maiden. To put a long story short Mr. Brandon Jay of Landuc had taken his permanent leave of the manor in a fit of boyish rage over the rules of jockeying. And that was all there was to say about that.

And so the third day was drawing to a close. Solaris gradually gave submission to his sister and mate, Illumina. She in her full glory speckled the horizon with diamonds and bathed all below in her milky embrace. The air lay thick with the scent of the sea that constantly remained in motion by the mansion's eastern border, of which Elise's balcony partially overlooked. Mostly it had been turned to her city and the wilderness that was so close she could outstretch a hand and grasp a mighty oak that shaded a section of the uplifted veranda.

It was upon a limb of this spectacular timber that the hedgehog had chosen as a hideaway to think over what he was going to do and how he was going to do it. So there he sat, quills against scratchy bark and embraced by the greenery of a summer's eve. Within on paw he held a folded length of cloth dyed sea-green in the fading light. A grin softened his auburn muzzle, and without thinking he brought the scrap beneath his nose and inhaled.

Sonic had noticed something yesterday when he was forced to vault away from the woman he had abruptly crashed into in the rain. The scarf she had given him in a moment of selflessness, there was some kind of smell to it. Not a bad one, just a smell. Normally females loved to adorn their skin with exotic perfumes so pungent that taking a deep breath near one would cause any of the opposite sex to spasm in a choking fit. Such scents were so strong that even their clothing seemed to be seeped in the stuff. But, this small extension of fabric had such a delicate one. The hedgehog could discern the artificial fragrances of lavender and vanilla, soft and decedent. Yet far beneath, intertwined in its very fibers there existed yet another flavor his nostrils could only faintly absorb. It made his quills prickle in a sense of euphoria, muscles suddenly tight like the end of a hard run.

Viridian irises shot open as the thought struck. He shook his head to rid himself of such thinking, forsaking such an absurd daydream. He had come to return the garment, or at least that was his excuse none-the-less. Ears perked from a sound in the distance. Immediately his face shot to the balcony were an ambiance of amber light shimmered forth beyond a veil of silken curtains. A shadow approached from behind the meager shielding of cloth and glass.

Elise took hold of the divide between sliding doors, pulling first the curtains away to reveal the landscape of forest, sea, and civilization in peaceful unity. With slender fingers she undid the lock and forced the two to part. Eclipsed by a sudden burst of humidity twined with the salty tang of the ocean, she drew in a deep breath and stepped outside.

From Sonic's position he witnessed the appearance of an angel haloed in silver and gold. She stepped forth, a slender beauty any human male would kill just to be graced by her glance. So, what was his excuse? Why couldn't he look away, set his mind straight again? Every subtle move she made, waltzing forward towards the very edge of her mezzanine, mesmerized him. A single slender appendage reached forth to grasp the finely carved rail of mercury-veined marble. The other lay clutched to a shawl of down draped across a gown, thin and tight against her petite frame. Again he smiled, heart beat escalating to uncontrollable levels.

Stormy eyes lifted to the sky, examining the luminous pearl that hung upon her chain of crystals. Not a cloudy blemish in sight. Elise sighed, again thoughts cast back to that moment in the city. Why was she clinging so desperately to that memory? So she had met Sonic the Hedgehog, big deal.

It wasn't as though she had never heard of him. Sure, everyone knew him, world savior and selfless hero, as swift and untameable as the wind itself. She had seen him on TV and in the paper, heard him on the radio, even casually talked about him with her friends. So why now, after meeting him face to face, does his very existence enrapture every thought? Come to think of it, ever since she had witnessed his exploits on the news when she was twelve she had been sort of intrigued by the anthro. She even remembered that it had been in Station Square, with some sort of water monster. Only now that she really thought of it, Elise noticed how her interest in him had grown since that day. Not so much as to be called obsessed or fangirlish, just anything about him always caught her attention. She always watched the television for sight of him or read the paper when he made the front cover. And now, she had talked to him, touched him, even given him her most prized possession. Was it possible that he was the vision in her dreams? Could that wind have been him on the night of the Sun Festival?

So lost in herself at that moment the starstruck girl yipped, nearly toppling over the edge of her balcony at the sudden appearance of the very individual who's existence consumed every waking thought. Immediately she swerved to face the diminutive figure kneeling only a foot from her upon the guardrail. He stood, balancing on the slim length of stone, muscles taught and face bearing the expression of amusement.

Sonic gave a heartwarming chuckled. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

Elise, took a deep breath, heart grown light from his unexpected, but well appreciated, arrival. "No, no, it's alright." She smiled, pulling back a portion of her mahogany hair.

For a few moments all was quiet, in that time the hedgehog sat himself, legs dangling over the inside edge. Elise took notice that in this position his height perfectly matched hers, though top-most quill perhaps just a bit higher. Yet again he out-held a paw to her, upon it lay the same earthen-green garment she had bequeathed to him in the rain three days ago.

"Thanks," he spoke as softly as the eastern breeze.

The woman reached forward with a tentative hand. Her first reaction was to accept his return. However, she paused, and instead curved his fingers with her palm around the delicately folded length of cloth. The hedgehog's muzzle turned up to her, confused. To this, her expression softened with sincerity, touched by his offer.

"Keep it." And her fingers rolled down his like morning dew from a fern leaf, satisfied with her choice.

"Are you sure?"

Elise nodded. "Yeah, I have plenty of others, trust me"

"I thought you said this one was special?" The hedgehog's expression turned back to its usual playfulness.

"It is, but I think it's already worked its magic, for me anyway. Perhaps it may do some good for you."

So, Sonic took the slim packet of cloth and set it to his lap, eyes forever affixed to hers.

"Was that really why you came all the way here? Just to give me back my scarf?"

"Sure," he shrugged. "Why not?"

"And here I thought you'd be well on your way to some other more interesting destination. One without so much water."

And they both laughed, melodious and somehow comforting to both.

"Well, aside from that, Soleanna is very nice. Peaceful, even," Sonic responded, finally turning his sight away to the horizon stretching out indefinitely before them. "It's weird though. I almost feel like I've been here before."

"Really, why's that?"

"Don't know. Wish I did."

"I bet you've seen so many beautiful places," Elise mused soberly.

Again his irises returned to her, she transfixed into the distance by some life she could not grasp.

"Yeah," he finally answered. "But, nothing compares to having a place to return to at the end of a long day."

Now it was Elise's turn to give him an estranged glance. "That didn't seem very 'Sonic-like.'"

An he chuckled, "it's true though."

Curiosity got the better of her. His words only begged the question, "You have a home though, don't you? A place to return to at the end of the day?"

"Yeah, in a way."

He seemed so unperturbed by the question, but to her his answer seemed incomplete. However, she let the subject drop and silence overtook them. And for a long while the two just remained contently beside one another stargazing, almost as though they had done so before, in some distant past long forsaken by memory. Neither knew what to say, nor did one wish to leave the other just yet.

Eventually the hedgehog's eyes began to drift away from the sky to rest upon the woman at his side. He thought back to the Festival of the Sun a few nights before and how his impulsiveness had brought him face-to-face with her. That same unearthly shimmer returned to her smooth skin, irises flecked with quicksilver. Suddenly an emotion overcame him, burning his chest and heart. He had felt this way before, so many years ago. But, how could this girl bring up such intimate feelings long buried? Ashamed, he dropped his gaze to the delicate square of folded cloth.

Elise noticed the sudden change in atmosphere and shifted her sights to her companion. She witnessed his sullen face and grew worried.

"Sonic, are you alright?" she asked in tender concern.

The hedgehog returned her gaze and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

She responded amusedly, "thinking, really? Now, are you sure you're really Sonic and not some impostor?"

And he laughed wholeheartedly, "and what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, the Sonic I know doesn't let anything bother him. He leaves his cares to the wind, goes wherever he pleases. It doesn't matter what others think of him, he always stays true to what he believes."

The hedgehog took a moment to absorb her words. Through her praises he had caught a hint of sorrow it seemed. He jumped to a stand, balancing on the rail like a gymnast as he came towards her.

"Hey, even heroes get worried sometimes. Sometimes."

"Really? And when has the great Sonic the Hedgehog ever been worried?" she giggled.

He shrugged. "Can't think of one." Though it was a lie.

Elise sighed, turning back to the heavens. Her continued solemnity made him feel a bit uneasy so he responded:

"Well, perhaps maybe once. But, just a little."

Again the young woman turned to him. "If you say so then I guess they do. Even if it is just a little."

Then more silence, heavy though not with ill. The night had seemed to draw onward and the weight of the day finally draped across both their shoulders. It was high time to turn it. Still, neither wanted to part for who knows when they would reunite again? But, in the falling darkness many things can occur. With somnolence thoughts can be distorted and emotions wild.

Elise drew a hand to her mouth and yawned. And as addictive as yawns were, Sonic soon found himself doing the same. It had been a long couple of days, for both of them. So to finally have some quite time -together- made all the difference. Now, staring out across the sea of blue and green and star-dusted cityscape, made both hearts grow light with a sense of peace and familiarity. The hedgehog, in particular, felt at home here, despite the water and the supposed truth that this was in fact his very first visit. He felt comfortable and content here, around her. This was not Knothole. This was not Mobodoon or Knotthole. As yet, it was 'Home.'

Elise spoke first, shattering his train of thought first with a petite giggle. "Guess it's time to say goodnight."

"Aw, come on. You're not seriously tired already?"

"And you're not? I saw you yawn."

"That was only because you did first."

"You live a much more exciting life than I do."

"Maybe too much living the life. Don't mean I'm set." He turned to her. "What about you?"

A thought crossed her mind. This play of events. It was funny how they appeared to mimic how her own mother put her to bed when she was little. A young Elise had been dubbed a Night Owl because of her aversion to sleep. So her mother invented a fun way to put her down at night. Though at first it seemed silly and had the opposite effect, the eventual result tuckered her out enough to finally allow her parents some peace and quiet. A spark of mischief ignited in the girl. Besides, it was all in fun, right? What would it matter? He would not stay very long anyway so why not make her time with him memorable?

She came close to him, who still remained standing gallantly upon the elegant stretch of stone. He could see in her eyes something that had not been there before. And for a while they remained affixed to one another. Till something began crawling up his hips. Sonic's first reaction was to jump away from the unexpected contact but figuring it had been of the girl's invention he allowed her to continue, a hot blush on his muzzle. Suddenly those advancing digits made their way up his arms and onto his neck. Without warning Elise began assaulting him viciously.

There was no blood involved but there was screaming. It had taken some creativeness to keep hold of the anthro's lithe body as the childish woman preceded to tickle him as her mother had done to her. Eventually the great Sonic had fallen, though Elise made sure it was on the inside of the balcony. Laughing frantically and without clear sight of laws or formality, both rushed inside to be embraced in the delicate warmth of candlelight. At first it seemed Elise had the upper hand in this fight. However, after a few swift evasive maneuvers, which in truth was simply after a quick spin-around, the hedgehog was soon on her tail instead. The childish and unexpectedly willing play from her companion caught her off-guard. She turned to watch him vaunt on top of her. The action was timed perfectly to allow the young woman to fall backward and flop gently onto the side of her bed. Face to face, both continued their giddy euphoria.

Then, without any warning, without even a second of thought, Elise brought her face up to his and kissed him. It had only been a tiny peck, a brief moment of intimate contact. But when she realized what she had done, instantly tensed and brought both hands to her lips, startled and embarrassed. Sonic however, had gone silent the instant her heat enveloped him. As if frozen, his eyes remained wide with mouth only slightly agape.

Tentatively she removed her palms to whisper the words, "Sonic, I am so sorry."

But anything after was instantly cut short. For he had taken her invitation and brought his lips against hers. Now it was her turn to sharply inhale with irises quivering in surprise. It wasn't as though he had forced himself on her. No, it was almost as though he had asked for just one more taste. For when he brought his face to hers the contact was so soft, so warm, so very familiar.

The princess relaxed in his hold, releasing her breath in a sigh. Eyes closed, content. Lost in the moment, rules and regulations foreign, she gradually lifted her hands in want of further embrace. Even so, when her palms were meant to grace his cheeks she felt nothing but air. In an instant he was gone but his presence still remained twined around the very air. When Elise opened her eyes to confirm his absence the only thing she caught was the ivory veil of her canopy. Even still his imprint lay gingerly upon her lips.

Fear made her chest burn and heart heavy inside her rib cage. She lay her appendages across her breast in wonder if she had unintentionally cast him away. How Stupid! How Foolish! How Uncivil of her to let her emotions run her every action. She had been raised better than that. What did it matter now scolding herself? The deed was done with nothing else to say except that it had been fun while it lasted.

When Elise was finally able to pick herself up and get into bed sleep came late, her mind swimming in blacked turmoil. And even when slumber overcame her sill the dream did not come.

-**END** **OF CHAPTER**-


	5. Redemption of a Sun God

**-DISCLAIMER-**

Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters/themes © SEGA and/or Sonic Team.

'The New Age Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog' © Kathryn Christine Starcrafter/Lumorean Arts.

**-THE RETURN OF METAL SONIC-**

Chapter 4: Redemption of a Sun God

When the morning came it felt cold, Solaris distant even though her bedroom windows faced the east. Elise moaned, for she did not sleep well. Her dreams were dark, forgotten yet present in the form of a heavy weight on her chest. She rolled on her side to face the balcony, where all the trouble had begun. At first its sight only reopened wounds. She closed her eyes from the intensity of the sun. A brief breeze scented with morning dew drifted forth from a crack in the sliding glass doors. The curtains fluttered delicately, sending the draft to envelope the downcast princess.

She inhaled deeply of the cool air and wrapped around it was a smell not natural at such a time and place. Lilies. She had some in the palace gardens but they were few and not that strong none the less. She perked and gingerly sat up, letting the light sheets roll off her body. Drowsy still, she rubbed her eyes and stretched. Again another gust crept through and Elise realized that Sonic must have returned in the night to shut the doors ever so much, for they had been left unattended in her depression. She wondered then if she had not truly cast him away. She drew in another deep breath and again smelt the familiar fragrance of flowers. It was far too strong, almost like there were some in her room.

Elise glanced then to her bed stand and the sight immediately warmed her heart. She reached forward and plucked the object so softly laid upon a tiny scrap of paper that had the simple word 'sorry' etched into it. Elise couldn't help but smile, mood lifting with each awakened second. In her hand now was one flower that could not have come from her garden. This delicate lily, named Panda because of its dappled monotone markings, only grew in soil made fertile from the ash of active volcanoes. There was only one person who could have gotten this within the span of a single night -there was no volcanoes near Soleanna, nor vendors toting such wares. With that single realization all the darkness of the night melted like the coming of spring after a harsh winter.

The day promised to be warm and sunny, so Elise dressed in a pair of jean shorts and white tank top. After, with flower in tow, she trotted down and had a quick breakfast of cereal and fresh fruit. She then spent the early morning in a blissful daze. The whole world was nothing but young love, though she had yet to realize her truly starstruck condition. Her flighty behavior attracted the attention of the young maids, who were her age and indeed most her friends. She was embarrassed at first but only told as much as the collision in the rain. This satisfied for the most part but the chatter eventually circulated through the manor to finally settle onto the ears of none other than the Emperor, her father, himself.

It was at around high noon and Elise had contented herself to lean against one of the pillars that connected the manor into the gardens. In one hand twirled the stem of the Panda Lily which she had been gifted. A permanent smile remained pasted to her rosy cheeks with eyes glistening euphorically.

"Elise."

All of a sudden, like the shattering of a platter of fine china, the young woman's world came crashing down. Her arm flung down and she turned to address her flesh and blood who at the moment set her heart to thunder.

"You seem very upbeat today, my dear. Any particular reason?" He came to face his daughter with an otherwise becoming grin. When she didn't answer immediately he added: "I've heard from some of the girls that you have found someone you actually like."

"Maybe, I don't really know." Elise spoke shyly, eyes still on the flower.

"Well that must mean you have a guy in mind." He pressed further, eager to hear what he had been hoping for.

"I do but, he's not really someone you'll like."

He bellowed a laugh. "How can you say such a thing. I've yet to even meet him. So, who is the lucky fellow?"

Elise really didn't want to tell her father anything, sad as it may seam. For she knew there would be only one characteristic that would send his mood plummeting. However, she did take this moment in thought, dropping her gaze and concentrating as to why Sonic the Hedgehog made her feel the way she did.

Even though there were countless words to describe him without alluding to his physic she only said: "He's not a prince but he is very nice and charming. He's really well known so I bet a lot of girls like him besides me."

"So then, what's not to like?"

And she looked up to her father with courage, his hazel irises to her misty-blue ones. "He's Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog. And I think he may be the one."

He was silent, though his eyes had indeed shot wide for a second. This time when he gave a more gentle chuckle it held a hit of malice. "You can't be serious my dear? You've always had this strange fetish with him. Why all of a sudden, do you feel like an Animal could make the perfect suitor for you?"

Elise had known that the fact that Sonic was an anthro would be the biggest deciding factor. Truth be told she had no idea that it was even possible for one of her kind and one of his to have feelings beyond friendship. Then what was she feeling now? What had she felt last night when she had accidentally brought her lips to his? These emotions were so confusing but they had to have reason.

While she had been thinking this her father become impatient. "Elise, please be reasonable. If not for me or yourself, think of your people who will someday look up to you. Think of your mother."

At that comment the young woman shuttered, becoming offended and defensive. "How would you know what mom would think?"

"Because I was married to her for nearly twenty years! Now listen, I know she did love Anthros, but in the end that love had cost her very life. Do you just want to throw that sacrifice away? Throw her honor away?"

There was nothing she could think of to say at this point. Fed-up and distraught, Elise spun away from her elder relative to seek shelter in the flowering gardens beyond.

"Elise, get back here this instant!"

He bolted after her, though as soon as he passed under the gateway that was an arch of silver marble and climbing roses he found that she had completely slipped from underneath his nose. As said, the gardens were as a maze to any but those who had navigated its confines since childhood. It had been made such from Elise's grandmother, Elise the First. Hector, who had not even been born in the Country-State of Soleanna, knew little of the twists and turns that had been laid out within. As such he merely walked forward a few steps into the greenery, glanced around and once again angrily called to his disobedient daughter in vain. After a few choice words, growling behind clenched teeth, her father admitted defeat for now and retreated back into the much more familiar hallways of the manor. He had had enough. It was time to end this before it got too far, something he had hoped would not have to be.

Just beyond the entry of the gardens was in-fact a set of hedges that were indeed planted out similarly to a Celtic knot, spiraling around stopping abruptly and then spirally back. Spotted here and there were groves of all kinds of trees and floral life native to the nations of Sea-Shore. Countless dumb animals roamed the premises from chipmunks to foxes coupled with song birds of all kinds.

Elise had indeed shot straight into the labyrinth of which she had learned how to navigate as a child. Every twist and turn and short cut had been etched into her head from her mother who had indeed been the one to teach her. At the very center of the structure gargled a marvelous stone fountain inspired by days of old. Etched across its ivory surface were carvings in gold and silver of flora and fauna. It was three teared, the bottom hosting that of a parade of lions, the middle had a chain of serpents intertwining each other like a crown, and the top held an intricate cage of stone doves of which the water issued forth from open beaks.

The exasperated princess sat herself upon the edge, watery eyes peering into similar depths. Draped across her lap lay the lily beginning to wither. As she twirled it in her fingers she snapped off a larger portion of the stem and set the bloom on top of the rippling pool. She smiled as the delicate flower bobbed about and spun off with a brief blush of wind under the glistening, aqua waterfall drizzling from the second tear.

"You came back," Elise breathed, never lifting her gaze.

She looked off to the side and there sat the wind itself in manifested form.

"Why wouldn't I?" He grinned, and she couldn't help but do the same.

But her face soon dropped away, focusing intently on her fidgeting fingers swimming among the fountain waters. "Sonic, I have a question for you. I hope you don't feel offended but," she gave a quick and gentle laugh, "I bet you have so many girls swooning over you don't you?"

He blushed, though brushing it off soon after. "Well, ya'know, it comes with the job."

"I'm sorry. That was probably such a stupid question. I bet none of them are like me though, hm? Human."

His expression turned to that of a question itself. Why was she wondering such things and so opening musing to him of them?

But she didn't wait for an answer, seeming merely satisfied to have published the question. "Don't worry about it. I'm glad you stopped by. It amazes me how you manage to get in here even with all my father's stupid security."

"Hey, can't catch what you can't see."

"True. I wish I could move that fast. I could escape from here. No more walls, not more diplomacy or etiquette. To be free."

Sonic shrugged. "It's not really that great."

"So says the Blue Wind who experiences it every day."

The hedgehog slid from the Fountain's lip, standing proudly before her. "Alright, how about I show you?"

"And how are you going to do that?"

No sooner had she said that then the petite woman found herself being swept off her feet and clutched feverishly to the chest of the pretentious anthro. Even before she could speak in protest were his legs flexed, muscles taunt as the rush of air overwhelmed breath. And such noise became lost, driven by the wind they themselves caused. Elise strained her eyes closed as the very force stung and bit. Her arms had gone numb while clasped about her captor's neck feverishly.

But she could feel it. The very speed at which they traveled. Though fear still kept her blind she needed no sight to discern what was coming and what was going. When the rush became cold and the song of birds bright she knew they had passed into the forest which lay near miles from the Manor at the very outskirts of Old Soleanna. It was only then that she dare open her eyes and witness the swiftness at which his speed carried them. Beams of light from the canopy shot down at them like lasers, tree by blackened tree rushed past in a towering blur. Sonic ducked, bobbed, and weaved through those that had fallen and those grasping unexpectedly across the way. And her very body shifted with his as if they were one and the same.

Eventually he vaulted into the air at the presence of an age-old and advancedly decayed portion of stone wall blanketed by fern and moss. They were nowhere near one of the paved pathways or even dirt-paths spindly veined through the God's Forest. So this place, what was so special that it had once been boarded but not so special as to have been lost to time? Her answer was never truly given. For as the curtain of willows parted so was revealed a sight left for eyes that could truly appreciate its beauty.

Encircled by a fence of dilapidated stone, stark birches, and cradling yews stretched forth a field of crystalline waters dotted hear and there by the occasional stony spur. Bordering the softly sloping expanse lay grasses as green as beryls and flowers in such hues that as the wind drifted by it appeared as though a pastel rainbow had brushed the ground.

The anthro released his passenger and she stood in total awe. There were no words to describe her emotions, breath caught in her lungs. Eventually she drew in dewy air and let Solaris caress the bare skin along her arms and back.

She sighed, "it's beautiful."

He silently strolled to her side, watching the princess intently. "Well you know, I seem to recall you mentioning something about wanting to see new places."

And she grinned wholeheartedly. He really knew how to cheer a girl up. This here was another opportunity. One she just couldn't pass up. She reached down and slipped a couple fingers into the heel of one shoe and then the other to remove them. Feet bare, Sonic watched as she gingerly stepping into the shallow pool before them. Elise let the cool waters and silken soil seep between her fidgeting toes and in that moment again she felt alive, she felt like a child again, she felt free. She began laughing giddily, trotting through the glistening streams and hopping from rock to rock like a frog. The girl spun around in mid hop, landing -more acrobatically than the hedgehog originally thought of her- on a large flat of stone.

Elise called out playfully, "catch me if you can."

The look that he shot back was exactly what she was expecting. Sonic grimaced, chuckling unsteadily with a smile that was far less than compliant. He didn't want to find out exactly how shallow the pool really was.

"I thought you were a hedgehog, not a chicken!" she shot back.

Though still not entirely resolute, the mockery obviously struck a cord. So with sucked in breath he ran a bit to the shore and timed a jump perfectly to land only a few feet from his prey. She all the while continued to lead him deeper with that beautiful smile and harmonious laugh. To keep his mind off other matters he merely focused on that. And eventually he was laughing along with her, zig-zagging from stone to stone, allowing to be led away from stable ground.

But her movement did have a goal in mind, as he soon figured out. Around the center of the majestic crater stood a lone island among a sea of teeth. And upon that island rose in full bloom a cherry tree raining down fragrant, pink tears upon the isle's soft banks. She was leading him there. So with a finish line in sight the athletic anthro began to pick up speed. Leaping back and forth eventually he was right on her heels. Then she looked back and paused, that was her fatal mistake.

"Got'cha! Ha, Ha!" Like the night before, he jumped from behind, gripping onto her waist and forcing her to fall back onto the bank.

Out of breath from their game and laughter, they both remained where they lay, on their backs and facing upwards through the magenta canopy of the single arbor. The air around its circumference was sweet, the sunlight dripping through parted blossoms lulling. From within this tiny space it was almost as if there was no other world. This was it. This place, this moment in time.

Once she caught breath, "thank you," was the first thing Elise said.

"For what?"

"Just, for everything. I've never known anyone quite like you. You're one in a million, Sonic."

"I'm assuming you're feeling better, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then, mind telling me what was bothering you before?"

Elise was silent for a short moment, collecting her thoughts. "It was just something stupid. It honestly doesn't matter anymore."

Sonic didn't entirely trust her statement but at the moment he really didn't seem to care. It was so quiet here, so calm. In this place there was no strife, no suffering, no pain. No blood had ever fallen here. Its only blemish was that it had been lost to time. It was almost as though this place had once been sacred and still upheld that dignity.

In this dazed state her voice reawakened him for just one brief moment. "This place, it's so very familiar somehow."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I wanted to show it to you. I actually only just found it today while out running."

She giggled. "Only you would be able to uncover such a wonderful place."

He let the comment slide, as for some odd reason any witty comeback was lost in a blur of fading consciousness. Her words as well sounded distant, as if she too was succumbing to the tempting tranquility this place seemed to breathe. The branches swayed high above them as if beckoning them into some unknown. And just like that, darkness...

Darkness, the likes of which mimicked the Princess' near constant dream. But this wasn't a lonely darkness. No, it felt warm and inviting, as though an actual entity wrapped around her body like a swaddling cloth. Levitating, her figure weightless in this expanse, there was nowhere really to go.

Then, puncturing the melancholy atmosphere came a sudden burst of light. Both blue and white like the sky, it radiated with such intensity that the very shadows seemed to recede in horror of its brilliance. It came with a noise too, like droplets plunking upon a still pool. Spheres of this essence floated off into unknown directions, further scattering the lifeless shroud. Half dazed, Elise's sea-gray irises followed one of the sprites as it barely grazed against an individual she had not known was there.

"Sonic?"

His outline seemed to glow an unfaltering alabaster, highlighting every curve and line. The Anthro turned to her, a look of bemused confusion softening his features.

"Elise?" It was almost as though he was surprised by her presence. This was all so eerily familiar.

Then, suddenly, the ever encroaching brightness reached them, exploding in a shower of translucent droplets. Waves of soft serenity cascaded across their forms. They bore into the light yet it did not blind. Instead in its embrace appeared a misshapen form only known to one individual among the two. They were looking at a God.

He was both beautiful and terrible, soft and angular. Shape akin to a butterfly, his wings were bony like that of a snowflake seen through a microscope. His face was merely a smooth oval of ruby set into a polished, golden body like the crown to an urn. He had no legs, tapering off into a point, and his hands were spindly and pronged in three ever grasping fingers. The immortal spirit hovered above them, perhaps hundreds of feet away or a mere twelve. Neither onlooker could tell. But when his voice boomed and shook this world to its very foundation the two knew to keep silent.

_I speak of a forgotten time, a broken future, a paradox in the void..._

Clear, yet obviously ancient, with each syllable an image manifested itself in their memories.

So many lost thoughts, moments not meant to be. This didn't make sense. She had been attacked at the Festival? And where was her father? Dr. Robotnik? And Sonic had saved her... So many times...

Was that Blaze, with a silver hedgehog? Iblis trigger... So much flames. Elise, dead? No that wasn't possible, he saved her, he always saved her.

_A ripple, it must pass..._

_I now return to you my debt. For my freedom so is yours._

_Never forget... Always cherish..._

_We shall meet again, Knight of the Wind._

His light, brilliance beyond comprehension... It never faded, never wavered, eventually meshing into that of the real world. Only this light was not so grand. Through the dappled pink and green shivering high above them there came a citrus-y glow like that of the dusk sun. Both companions arose from their stupor, stiff and disorientated. They sat up, rubbing their eyes and limbs.

Elise was the first to speak. "Wow, how long have I been asleep? Sonic, you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here," he yawned from behind.

"You fell asleep too? How weird." She glanced over to him, he sitting cross-legged and scratching out his quills. "I had the weirdest dream though."

He peered over to her, emerald irises a bit dazed. "Come to think of it, so did I."

"I saw you, and I think Solaris, the God of Time. He was saying something about-"

"A paradox," Sonic interrupted her.

And in that moment they truly saw one another. But, this wasn't like when they had collided in the rain, nor on the balcony, or at the fountain. In this sight each beheld a revelation. It was as though what had once been long forgotten, buried beneath time immemorial, began gingerly percolating to the surface of their subconscious. It was almost the feeling of reminiscing with friends about the past, events once thought to be inadequate, not even worth remembering. And then, once remembered would come the realization of moments once cherished like precious stones. How could they have been forgotten so carelessly?

"_I promise you, Elise, in the new present, and the future, we will be together. No matter what happens we will be together, forever."_

"_You'll find a way. You're Sonic, after all."_

It did not come all at once, mere fragments of thought. But they were there, clear as day. These moments, they had indeed happened. There was no denying it. And like a blooming rose each unfurling petal revealed more insight into this 'Broken Future' that was, but not meant to be.

Breath lost, Elise was again the first to break the silence. "I remember, your promise. You actually kept your promise."

The cobalt hedgehog grinned, staring into her bemused face in pure adoration. "You doubted me?"

She laughed,"your ego is still too big for your head."

"Hey, see if I save you next time you're in dire peril."

"Of course you will. You're Sonic, after all."

He chuckled, "and you wonder why my ego's so big."

Her vision blurred, on the edge of tears she cried, "oh, Sonic. I missed you so much!"

She came forward and embraced him, locking her arms about his waist feverishly. He took her, running his paws around her shoulders and back in comfort, bringing her in closer still.

"Hey, it's not like I really went anywhere," he whispered sweetly, nuzzling beside her ear.

The run back took exponentially longer than it had on their journey down to the lake. Solaris had settled down and allowed his twin to take the sky in his stead. The stars had just begun to glimmer but the love struck girl noticed them not. Her focus was on the one individual who meant the world to her. Sonic merely trotted back through the path they had come, Elise comfortably molded against him. The air had become bitter so it wouldn't have been a most clever idea to run through the dead of night, anyhow.

As time passed, with every twist and turn, fragments of memories pieced themselves together, contributing to the whole. It was as though their moments together were going in reverse. By the time both had arrived at the outskirts of the manor the revelation as to why Solaris had been so gracious in returning to them what they had lost was revealed. They had extinguished him, yes. But only in the Mortal Realm. By doing so that had actually granted him a kindness. Freed from the bonds of the Emperor, he had returned to his rightful glory within the existence beyond. So they were most likely the only ones to remember the future that was never meant to be. Perhaps it was for the better.

The lithe hedgehog vaulted across preened hedges and sculpted flower beds. Past the fountain and up into the limbs of the prodigious oak that protected the balcony jutting off from her chamber. With one final leap he landed gracefully upon the marble guardrail where almost twenty-four hours before he had been. Elise slipped from his grasp, feet first with arms still hooked about his neck. He bent down and nuzzled the side of her nose and she smiled, shivering as his warmth transferred to her.

Sonic remembered the night before, when the influx of adrenalin had caused the two to come together in quite an intimate way. That moment when she had kissed him, it was as though a surge of lightning had shot down his spine. But when she pulled away the connection was lost, the essence between he and she severed. In that moment he had been overcome by a need so strong that all logic and decency no longer applied. Something in that moment when they had connected. A sense of familiarity, known yet unknown. That was what had brought him to kiss her back, and that was what brought his lips to hers once more. The only difference was he knew this time what made him long for her taste, her smell. This time he understood that he loved her.

When they had reluctantly parted Elise brought up a palm to gingerly stroke the velvety fur of his cheek, staring starstruck into his viridian irises. "You were the one I've been waiting for all this time. It really was you. I don't know how you did it."

"This time I think, it was both of us." He grabbed her hand, petting her knuckles with his thumb.

"I wish you didn't have to leave just yet."

"I'll come back tomorrow, bright and early. Then we'll have the whole day together."

"I'd like that."

Then, reluctantly, they released one another. Why did it have to end so soon? They had only just remembered. But he could not stay, she had to sleep. And despite his sometimes overwhelming impulses, he was a gentlemen. Elise stayed moments longer to watch him vault acrobatically off of the railing and back into the tree and down into the gardens and forests. All she could see by that point was a streak of navy-blue weaving its way in and out of opposing timbers. She smiled, clutching her heart with the hand he had held. The Princess of Soleanna was never one to place much on Fate or Destiny. But this time she had to admit, there was nothing else to explain it. Solaris' appearance had been the glue that stuck all of that drifting uncertainty and confusion in her mind together and thus becoming an understandable whole. It all made sense now. And there was nothing she would change even if time itself was forced to once again reset. She knew, no matter what, they were meant to be. And no force in all of time and space could change that.

-**END** **OF CHAPTER**-

Author's Notes:

The Panda Lilly mentioned here was indeed inspired by the animated series 'Avatar: the Last Airbender' © Nickalodean.

Solaris (as well as Illumina) play a larger role in the 'Future' series of events dealing with Sonic, as well as his and Elise's daughter Aleena II (aka Violet).


	6. A Father's Will, A Madman's Power

**-DISCLAIMER-**

Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters/themes © SEGA and/or Sonic Team.

'The New Age Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog' © Kathryn Christine Starcrafter/Lumorean Arts.

**-THE RETURN OF METAL SONIC-**

Chapter 5: A Father's Will, A Madman's Power

The darkness suddenly dispersed like an implosion of light. There, hovering in the expanse shining like the sun was the hedgehog in his full glory. She felt his arms wrap around her like a blanket, soft and warm and comforting. She embraced him back, pressing her nose into his neck.

She spoke his name, "Sonic."

And she could almost feel him grin, his form engulfing her lovingly. Blinded in that brief flash of white, her sight mingled with that of the real world. Her form turned towards the balcony from which streams of Solaris' glory seeped in through silken curtains. Morning already? Oh, wait. That was a good thing. Sonic had come once again to her, as if in reaffirmation that he did exist and he did love her. But her dreams were nothing compared to the real thing.

Elise sat up in bed and stretched out her arms. Breathing in deeply, her nostrils took in the freshness of dew and cut grass. As if on impulse Elise turned her sight down to the bed stand and in the place of a single lily was a pile of them in all colors of the rainbow. There was also some blue-white orchids, and Twilight Roses, bluebells, and fragrant ponies. Her grin could grow no wider. She scooped up the bundle of flora and brought their freshness up close. Elise grabbed one of the cups she kept beneath her night stand and placed them there while she dressed as quickly as possible. She made sure the doors to her balcony were left open before she took the make-shift vase with her down the hall. It was filled at the bathroom closest to her room and brought back while a precession of young maids entered to clean.

Afterwards the princess officially made her way down to the dining room to get something to eat before his arrival. She didn't know if he was going to meet her in her room or down in the garden. Either way she was sure he would find her. However, before she could even take at bite out of her egg a voice pierced her ears like a dagger.

"Good morning, Elise."

She never turned her gaze to meet him. "Morning, father."

He sat down in a chair next to hers, reaching for one of the fruits laid out onto a silver platter. He plucked an apple, red as blood.

"I'm very curious to know as to where you saw yourself off to yesterday."

Elise swallowed hard, memories choking her. Unknowingly her teeth quenched together for a second before relaxing. "I went out with some friends," she lied.

Hector had procured a knife and had begun gently peeling the skin from the fruit in one long, crimson ribbon. "Somehow I don't believe that."

Elise regain a little courage. "Why do you care all of a sudden?" she snapped.

"Because," he answered in an unnerving calm, "if it is anywhere near that hedgehog I forbid it."

For some reason his words didn't frazzle her. She didn't really know how to entirely act around him now. Her memories had been split between the time she had grown without him and the new one that had him still living.

"I don't care," she responded sweetly. "I've finally found the one I've been waiting for. And I know there's nothing in all the world that can change that."

Elise rose from her seat and excused herself with a bow, slowly trotting off into the corridors beyond. The Emperor sat there, his eyes and face blistering. If only it hadn't come to this. He could have prevented this but what were the chances of them meeting again? He had placed too much faith in chance and it had backfired. Well, he would make amends. He apologized sullenly to nothing and stood himself. He took a deep bite from the naked fruit and let the sugary syrup run down his chin. In a short while it wouldn't matter. He would put to right this madness.

Meanwhile, out in the garden the Blue Wind silently made his way over the garden wall and in through the tamed forest. As invisibly as possible he leapt from branch to branch up to the top of the tree that connected his and her world. Truly he was expecting to see her there, either just woken up or waiting for him. However the doors were open but she wasn't inside. Granted there were plenty of young and pretty faces, but none of them compared to his Elise. So he leaned back patiently against the trunk of the oak to await her sight. It didn't take long.

Something caught his eye in the distance, it was the arch that separated the gardens from the manor. She stood there waving up to him dresses in a flowery-navy tank, black capris and a smile that could melt the iciest heart. Though something seemed off. Sonic softly jumped to the ground and walked up to her. Before he could even say hello she giggled at him and rushed under the arc, across the shaded porch and straight into the manor.

"Hey, wait!" He tried to call after but with no visible result.

The anthro stood there for a couple of extra seconds. Was this another one of her games?

Elise, after again abandoning her breakfast, made her way back up to her room. She hoped the maids were gone but if not she would just help them finish up so she could be alone. They weren't. But she didn't immediately jump into the fray. They were almost done anyway. Just fitting a clean set of sheets and dusting the tables. She wandered off towards the balcony, hoping to see if he had arrived or not. Only problem was she was looking to the trees. There was nothing, no sign of him. That was until her depressive sight shot down towards the gardens as she hung her arms across the rail. Sonic? What was he doing? Going inside the manor? She immediately flung herself from the balcony and back inside. Was he insane? She had to get to him before anyone saw.

Sonic followed the apparition of the girl inside. He made sure to keep as close as possible, the inside of the manor was huge. The ceilings were as tall as a dragon and gilded in shimmering paints to replicate metals. Diamond chandeliers hung down and sprayed the walls in golden sparkles. There were tables placed here and their hoisting misted flowers plucked straight from the garden and some incense wafting cardamom and cloves. There were paintings too depicting both people and landscapes dedicated to Sea-Shore.

Eventually her game lead them into a wider portion of the building. It was circular with a miniature garden fountain spouting ivy, ferns, and mosses. Other halls jutted out into unknown portions of the prodigious building but Elise took none of them. Instead she continued to head straight beyond the greenery and through an ivory doorway beyond.

All the while her voice sung, "come on Sonic! I've got something to show you. Hurry so no one sees."

This was the first actual time he had heard her speak. It certainly sounded like the princess. He quickly followed after, the doors clicking shut behind him.

Elise stumbled through the intersection of her home, taking a second to catch her breath. Sonic had entered through the corridor directly left. She started off again, determined to catch him before something unwanted happened -like her father greeting him.

Unbeknownst to her he had gone through the doorway directly to her right. The library. The hedgehog had entered into plenty of important buildings in his lifetime of being a world traveler and hero. They all were generally the same in that they had a single room dedicated to knowledge. Some were larger than others, while others were more decorated. This one had to take the cake. From what the hedgehog could see the room was nearly the length of a game field, its pure size obscured by towering shelves of palm-wood reaching up to a ceiling of domed Roman-Glass. The area was much like that off the halls beyond in that the shelves sectioned themselves in an almost star-shaped pattern, radiating from a spherical contraption set at the center of the palace. The floor was carpeted a bronze-gold and through out the expanse potted palms and Sakura fragranced the air. Only problem, that weirded him out, was the phantom that had lead him here was nowhere to be found.

The hedgehog stepped down from the doorway into the lowered expanse of the chamber. He took a quick notice of two strange statues wrought it pure gold set at the base of the steps. They were like two humanoid angels devoid of features but for feathered wings folded gracefully against their back. Both had their arms pressed together in front of their face displaying a pair of bejeweled braces, a similar set clasped their ankles.

He slowly crossed the expanse, looking around and down between each wooden tower. There was no sign of her as if she had vanished into thin air. He couldn't very well call out to her. Maybe she had gone out another door. But she would have waited for him if that were the case, to allow him to see where she was headed. Then she must be hiding somewhere.

As he traversed deeper and deeper it was eventual that he arrived at the strange statue at the center of the complex. As he approached the object became of interest. It appeared to be moving through some form of its own design. The object itself was a good two feet higher than him. The central core, a black sphere as deep as the sea, appeared to hover around mechanical golden rings. It reminded him sort of like an old globe used to display all of the Empires of Mobius.

Sonic drew closer still, almost enticed by its enchanting spins. Though once he was close enough to view the orb from within its protective golden ribs his heart nearly hauled in his chest. That object which he had assumed to be nothing but an overgrown pearl was something far more supernatural. The deeper his emerald irises delved the clearer its inverted opalescent surface became.

The Paradox.

Sonic could see himself and Elise on the ground and holding the infant Solaris in his vessel. The two drew close, about to extinguish the infant flame. The hedgehog lifted a paw up to the object and right as his fingers brushed its frigid, smooth surface it went black. Then there was a vein of light. It split into two and then again into six. It continued to spawn till the scar severed every inch of the once flawless circumference.

In an instant the onyx gem shattered, scattering across the elegantly carpeted floor like stardust. Sonic cussed beneath his breath, taking a step back. Whatever that thing was it could get him into a lot of trouble. He turned around realizing that most likely Elise was not here and if anything he would meet up with her on her balcony later on. He couldn't place a finger on it but a nagging in the back of his head told him something was majorly wrong.

Then, as he went to turn around his eyes caught view of an imposing individual between the angelic statues. The human stood with his back facing Sonic, leaning over the door. The hedgehog didn't speak but waited, it was unlikely the figure had come in here oblivious of the hedgehog's intrusion. Soon enough the man turned and Sonic knew that scowl instantly. This was Elise's father, Hector Soliel, the Emperor of Sea-Shore. He gulped silently, he figured he was in for a real treat. The man glided up to him slowly, only making the anthro's anxiety grow. Then, when the man finally spoke Sonic's quills sharpened as if in dread.

"Hello, I don't really know as we've met." Hector began. "My name is Hector Soliel and I am the ruler of the Empire of Sea-Shore. But, more so, I am Elise's father."

Sonic continued to remain silent.

"You I know. Everyone knows of the greatest fighter for freedom. Sonic the Hedgehog." Hector gave a quick chuckle as if amused by something as he sauntered up and stood right beside the otherwise less than eager creature. "You know I may even have the honor of being the first to hear your name."

The haggard figure bend down, groaning as a single appendage scooped up a shard from the shattered sphere. He twirled it between his fingers, enticed by the aurora of color given off by the morn sun's buttery rays seeping in through the domed, glass ceiling.

"It was the strangest thing. I had found this within my lab, in place of a young Time God. You can imagine my surprise and concern, my choler... I had lost all hope in the chance at perfecting the ability to warp the very fabric of space. With Solaris' help I could have built a machine. A mechanism that would have allowed me, as well as others, to return to moments of regret. To make things right.

"Instead I had this, an enchanted crystal that showed me what was about to be. Or that was what I had thought. For when I looked deep into its shadow I saw my beautiful daughter all grown and hosting the Festival of the Sun. I saw her attacked by a strange man. Then I saw her fall in love.

"I tried so desperately to prevent this from happening. I began posting guards around the city during the festivals. Well, more than since the incident. Then I began to take care of another matter. I had her meet with many lords from my states but none of them took her fancy. She always said she was waiting for someone. Just waiting..."

The air suddenly became heavy and Sonic took a tentative step back.

"How touching," Hector hissed. "But I will not let my daughter's life be ruined by a beast like my wife's!"

That fragment the lord had been fiddling with suddenly shot towards Sonic's feet. The ever alert hero vaulted into the air as the bullet colliding where once he stood. He preformed another back-flip, heading in the direction from whence he had originally come. The man only followed with his eyes of stone tuned to the fleeing culprit. Sonic bolted up the stairwell, nearly home free. As he ran past the statues, paws about to grasp the doorhandles, something sent a jolt of lightning up his spine. Sonic screamed, but instead of falling to the floor he felt himself rising. The statues, they were giving off some kind of electrical webbing, preventing him from reaching the exit and searing his inside with their debilitating energy. A set of baritone clangs caught his ears while in an instant both wrist and ankles were bound in clasps of cold metal -the very ones from the angels standing guard. Sonic feel to the floor on his stomach with a thump, breath sucked from his lips.

Just as things couldn't get any worst there was a typhoon of wind from above. Sonic had to crane his neck to look up towards the ceiling. In this way he realized he was completely immobile, appendages trussed together like some wild pig. Apparently the glass sheathing had pulled back, opening the way to the noon sky above. But the image that he saw made his body tense, his eyes go wide and his lungs unable to catch breath again. A mechanical disk floated down through the opening and upon it stood an individual who the hedgehog would hope never to see here again. He had silently promised never to let this vile man through the borders of his love. Never again. At each side of the being stood a strange robot in form much like the statues, but with a silver sheen. They were tall and slim, built like a man but with no facial features or hair. They had no wings either. It donned on him that one it would seem had been the apparition that lead him here, into the arms of its master. It had some kind of holoshell that flickered in such a way as to allude to its identity. Sonic figured this was its inventor's way of toying with him -allowing him the pleasure of realizing as to who, or what, had been the cause of his entrapment.

As the saucer touched ground the madman known as Ivo Robotnik bowed low to the Emperor as if in mockery.

"Greetings, your Majesty." He then uplifted himself and turned his scrutinizing gaze upon the hedgehog and spoke. "It looks as though your impulsive nature has once again gotten you into trouble. And this time I don't believe you will escape with your life. Take him!"

The command was spoken to his robotic guard. For in an instant the two were upon the hedgehog, guns drawn and aimed for his head. Sonic was utterly helpless.

Ivo laughed, sensing the hedgehog's anxiety. "Oh don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. I have far more creative plans." Turning back to Hector he said, "you have made the right decision, your Highness, handing over the cretin to me."

Sonic attempted to reason with Elise's father, speaking slowly and with determination. "Your Majesty, please listen to me. Ivo is a madman. He-"

The Doctor interrupted, "you know as well as anyone how Anthros may pervert the truth. Such instinctive creatures, no better than the animals they resemble."

Was the Emperor truly that narrow minded? Had he not seen through the orb that it had been Ivo who attacked his daughter in the first place?

Then the genius had the gull to say, "who knows what would have happened if you had let that beast make off with that pretty daughter of yours."

Then something snapped, something deep within Sonic's primal being. Perhaps it was the revival of those long forgotten memories, or just those from his youth when this same man...

Sonic roared through bared fangs ,"I swear Eggman, if you go near her I'll-"

"See how he threatens me with my own life?"

"Enough!" Hector hollered, becoming fed up with this game between hero and villain. "Just take the hedgehog and go!"

It had been at this time that Elise had wondered back from the the entrance to the gardens. There was no sign of Sonic anywhere.

_"I swear Eggman, if you go near her I'll-"_

Her head whipped around at hearing a muffled voice. It sounded a lot like Sonic's but what caused her doubt was that its origin came from the library. She trotted up to the prodigious doorway reigning tall over the intersection of the eastern half of the manor. Maybe she had just imagined it. She resisted the urge to call out and instead placed her ear to the door. She could hear more voices but they sounded like her father. He was talking to someone. She brought both hands to the latch and tried to force the doors to part. They were locked.

"Dad, is that you?" she called to him.

While inside the room all ears suddenly perked at the unexpected voice. Sonic whispered her name, not wanting to elude to his presence and have her open the doors to witness this scene.

"Hurry, get him out of here," Hector commanded.

Immediately those two holobots reached down and strung up the hedgehog by his arms, carrying him over to the hover platform. Hector himself strutted past, up to the door and fiddled with the locking mechanism. Everything happened all at once. Elise burst through right as her father lifted the hatch and attempted to speak with her. The force stunned him, tossing him back a bit and allowing her free passage. Her eyes shot to the sky as the hum of Ivo's carriage ascended to escape. In the swiftness of time still her eyes focused on one individual, bound till immobile, and impotently in the arms of the one man who could do him the most harm.

"Sonic!"

His viridian eyes turned down to her with not the slightest hint of fear. He even had the nerve to smile, and give her a quick, somewhat reassuring, wink as his form shrunk from view. A massive airship darkened the expanse below, swallowing both captor and captive within its leviathan girth from a portal split into its crimson belly. Elise watched on helplessly as the leader of the Freedom Fighters vanished from sight under the mercy of his most hated adversary. This did not vote well.

"No..."

-**END** **OF CHAPTER**-


	7. Valor's Heart in a Gilded Shell

**-DISCLAIMER-**

Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters/themes © SEGA and/or Sonic Team.

'The New Age Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog' © Kathryn Christine Starcrafter/Lumorean Arts.

**-****THE RETURN OF METAL SONIC-**

Chapter 6: Valor's Heart in a Gilded Shell

No matter how many time he had infiltrated the dreaded carrier, Sonic was still amazed at the vastness the evil mind of Ivo Robotnik could conjure off the ground. And to think, that same mind had once been driven in quite the opposite direction. Now however, this floating hunk of shrapnel was nothing but a glorified prison. Said hedgehog was being escorted by the arms across the main hull of the ship. Its bowels reached a height of near twenty feet, zooming above their heads small workerbots ran back and forth on tubular rails preforming menial yet essential tasks to keeping the rig airborne. Its innards gave off a constant buzz of artificial life, every once in a while spewing off a hiss of steam or perhaps smoke which made the hedgehog's quills prickle with restiveness. Each step they took against the grated pathway resonated around the endless chamber which only added to the sense of uneasy, foreboding doom.

Sonic couldn't fret over such events that had just transpired. If he gave in to the vex that was Eggman than surly Mobius was at its end. That look she gave, it pained him to see her so distraught again. It had been his skittish negligence that had entrapped him, but it was his dexterous volition that would hopefully see him through.

"So, what does the good doctor have planned for me this time around?" Sonic cockily spat. "Since when does Eggman the Great require the aid of an Emperor to entrap his prey?"

Ivo chuckled in amusement. There was no question in his mind that he held the upper hand. Let the blasphemous hero snark all he wants for it is his captor who currently dealt all the cards.

"You certainly have an estrange taste in girls, Sonic." He spoke while tapping the tips of his fingers against one another. Might as well have some last minute fun and play a little game. "Every one is way out of your league. It would truly be a shame if this one had an accident like the last, or even like her own mother."

Sonic's ears pulled back defensibly, emerald oculars narrowed to aggress with so much hatred just waiting to be released. Instead he attempted to calm himself as best he could and asked out of curiosity, "how do you know about Elise's mother?"

Ivo grinned like a sinister clown. "Let's just say I read the papers more often than I should and thrive on conspiracy theories."

This was the only man alive of which Sonic out-rightfully despised. He had a heart like a demented demon and a mind to play out any game he so chose. In a way it did not surprise the hedgehog how the aging scientist knew of the late Elise. Ivo had played a distant hand in Sally's murder and the near disintegration of the Forest-Down Empire. For all he knew Elise II's death could have been manipulated by the genius' own hands for whatever gain he had had in mind at the time.

"What does it matter now?" Ivo eventually chimed. "When I have the prize that has eluded me for so long."

"Yeah, that reminds me. You know, you didn't kill me when you had the chance," Sonic chided.

"No I did not. Reason being that I have far bigger plans for you."

By this time the group had reached a partition cutting them off from the rest of the battlefront. Ivo turned off to the left where existed a crevice cut skillfully into the ship's hull. There was a jerk as a thin yet sturdy sheathing of glass encompassed them, eventually shooting the four swiftly to the second level of the structure. They lurched to a halt and the crystalline door drew back. This corridor was severely demeaned from the one they had just came from. It only reached a height of about seven feet and rounded like a tube. The floor was silver plated and each step seemed to echo even louder than before. Upon each wall a sphere of phosphorus energy lit the elongated shoot enough to safely navigate.

"So, am I allowed to hear this plan of yours or are you going to keep it a surprise?" Sonic caustically asked.

"Oh, you'll figure it out for yourself soon enough."

Ivo halted again beside a section of wall that upon closer inspection appeared to be a portcullis of sorts. One of the Illusionariebots holding their prisoner released him and let its partner take the brunt of the baggage. The inventor himself reached out an ivory gloved appendage towards a pad set into the iron gate's hinges. His fingers melodiously danced across the keys, imprinting a secret sequence into the lock's brain. The door opened like a mechanical spider unfurling its legs. It took a second or two more for the newly revealed dorm to come to light. In that moment of revelation the very world crumbled beneath the hero's feet.

"You're not seriously going to try that again?" the hedgehog hissed.

Eggman chuckled, leading the way inside. The very first structure that came to sight was known to not only Sonic but most of the original Freedom Fighters who fought to liberate the madman's tyrannical rule over Forest-Down. Granted, it had gone through a set of changes. Instead of laying horizontal to the ground -like a cot- a tubular structure stood upright, its ventral surface exposed for all to see. From both its crown and roots extended vast piping of multihues. What had given the engine away was the organs themselves. To anyone viewing the structure its mercury-sheen innards could have been passed off stretchability as a strobe light. The concave surface was plated in fractured mirrors and round nodulars almost as though to generate an electric currant. However, it was not lightning bolts the Good Doctor had plans to recreate.

Ivo let the snide question his captive had bit slide. "Lock him in," was all he gruffly commanded of the one robot that remained shepherd to its sacrifice.

The mechanical contraption hoisted the anthro into the air a bit more, trotting forwards a ways before planting him into the machine with an unfeeling toss. Sonic's spine rammed into the prison's ribs, hissing as the pain dulled all other senses. A set of shimmering plates came forward the seal the individual inside. Sonic sat up gruffly, shaking his quills in an attempt to regain composure as quickly as possible. Nothing much he could do in such a position, both wrist and ankles clamped together so tightly he believed his paws where just about as white as the gloves that covered them.

The scientist grinned like the madman the Freedom Fighters knew he truly was, running his fingers across the control pad in euphoric glee. Sonic caught the rev of an engine as the machine came to life. The very air inside the tube vibrated and made his quills perk. The nodes from behind gave off a couple warning jolts in preparation for the wave.

"Goodbye, Sonic the Hedgehog," was the last serpentine words the antrope's ears caught before he felt as though he were being skinned alive.

Those buds shot out waves of some form of neon energy digging beneath his fur. Everything burned. Every breath, ever subtle flex made him want to cry out in torment. But he wouldn't, he wouldn't allow his nemesis that pleasure. Instead he let out labored hisses, attempting to staunch the pain. His flesh began to twitch uncontrollably, writhing over in cascading waves of prickling numbness. Those pulses were almost blissful compared to the tearing he was forced to endure beforehand. Even so, allowing himself to bask in this pleasure only meant he was giving in, proclaiming this madman the victor.

In one more bout of defiance, Sonic used the final ounce of his strength to hoist himself and then his restrained paws up into the air. With all the force his caved chest could muster he flung the gilded braces down onto the wall of the mechanism. The interior shook like a maelstrom and the beams of energy slashing his muscle responded in accordance. The hedgehog's bound body lifted from the pedestal. He finally cried out in bone shattering torment. Every inch of his flesh contracted, feeling as though being run over by a steamroller. Sinew snapped and sizzled in acid, writhing like banners in a hurricane. Emerald irises rolled back into their skull as if retreating to safety. Eventually his lungs gave in the fight as well, dry and unable to regain the oxygen they so craved. Next came his knees buckling out from under him. Those braces were so damn heavy! There was a flash of white and then came nothingness, sweet sweet nothingness.

Ivo watched as the machine flashed with a few beeps of warning. From within the upright capsule exuded pillows of thick, caustic vapors tinted an opaque gray. The scientist typed in a few more letters of code in caution, waiting for the perfect moment to birth his creation. There came a hiss of pressure and the man tapped a single button. The reinforced glass swung open, eager to give in to the pressure condensed within. There in the opening crouched a masterpiece of metallic manipulation.

It just remained where it sat above its knees, arms forward almost like a gorilla. Ivo was struck dumb with astonishment, breath caught in his lungs. It had actually worked! The contraption appeared deceptively a duplicate to the renowned hero. The differences were that this object was machine. Every limbs and joint connected with balls and wires. Cascades of azure flesh hardened to diamond, spines sharpened to razorblades, eyes blank with death. Then there was those braces, strangely perfect to the whole.

The scientist gingerly come forwards, ensuring a steady eye as a prey does its predator. But as he drew even closer the prey grinned toothily, swinging an arm around to grip the back of the disabled contraption's neck. With a fluent flex something ejected from a compartment below the spines. A small black rectangle. Ivo brought it with him back to the desk, motioning for the one servant who remained in the room. He handed it the disk.

"Take this and dispose of it. If all goes right I will have no need of it ever again."

The mech nodded and loped off back into the corridor beyond with package in grip. The madman returned his sights back on the disabled anthro who remained as still as stone. No sign of life which was in truth a good thing. The ejection had been successful and that hunk of metal was now only a shell to be puppeted by his will, the remnants of an omnipotent prince. Dr. Robotnik laughed in demented glee at how everything had finally bore fruit. And to think all it had taken was the concern a father had for his daughter. How that man was able to contact him in the first place was a mystery to begin with. He had never even paid much attention to the Empire of Sea-Shore yet alone it's ruling family. Then out of the blue he had received a transmission from its Emperor. Amusing how everything has such a simple start.

Ivo returned to the digital table and once again began typing. A compartment opened up off the the side out of it manifested another disk similar to the one that had just been removed from his presence. If this worked there would be no one in all the world that could oppose him. He gingerly handled the drive as though his very life depended on its safe journey, inserting it into the empty hovel that its predecessor had left. Nothing happened at first, backing away from the one machine that he was incapable of knowing the intentions of.

"Now, awaken my Hyper Metal Sonic!"

There first came a flash as its lifeless eyes gained color for a second. A pair of ovals manifested on the onyx canvas, cerise like fresh blood. At first the mechanization did little more than stare ahead at nothing.

"I said rise!"

The hedgehog in his metal shell grudgingly rose to a stand, obedient yet proud. Still those lifeless eyes bore into the distance as if the soul inside was not truly there. In that instant the unimaginable became apparent. The madman had won.

"Why?" That was the only word that issued from her lips as her eyes glanced over to her own flesh and blood.

The Emperor still stood at the front of the door, exhaling in answer, "I had to. It was the only way to get him away from you."

"Why? Why is he so bad that you had to get that-that..." She held her temples and growled, knowing the effort was futile.

"Because... I did not want you to end up like your mother."

"But, Ivo? He is Möbius' most feared madman and only Sonic has enough experience to put any dent into his schemes. Was the lives of an uncountable amount of people worth it?"

"If it will satisfy your temper, then yes. There is nothing an Anthro can do that a human can not. If this Dr. Robotnik becomes hostile towards my people than I have my own methods to deal with him. As far as I'm concerned if the rest of the world powers need assistance then all they must do is ask."

The aging Emperor lumbered past his flesh and blood, standing before the contraption that had once been built to contain what had once been Solaris' Pearl. The remnants of the jewel were still scattered around his feet, giving the floor an inverted diamond sparkle.

"Our God must have other plans," Hector breathed.

"What is that supposed to mean?" The princess' voice was cracked on the edge of tears but her words still held some bite.

Her eyes fell upon the mechanical rings that had become static, their enchanting dance no longer swayed by the whims of the orb. She remembered that machine being in place of a statue. During some year when she was very little the article was replaced with that thing. However, since that time she never remembered her blood relative showing her what it was. Her father had never given her the privilege of knowing what the sphere was. She was never much of a curious girl growing up. Her abused agenda made sure of that. Even so, it took only a moment to realize that ever since that object's sudden appearance her life had been thrown for a loop.

"I thought that maybe I could change the future. Solaris' abandonment still haunts me. I thought the visions in the sphere were showing how to make everything right but somehow everything turned out wrong."

"Then, all those idiotic suitors were because of your narrow-minded fear of Sonic and I falling in love?"

"That covetousness is not 'love!' It is a perversion of 'love' fathomed by a young, naive mind." His words held plenty of venom, leading Elise to believe that something far deeper fueled his hatred. "You are just like your mother and in the end she betrayed me. She betrayed us all." Hector turned back to his daughter than, back to a face mixed with both fear and sadness. "I won't let what happened to her, happen to you. No matter what I must do."

"Dad... Is that why you never talk about Mom's death?"

"You won't understand. You're too much like her, heading down the exact same path, leading to the exact same end."

A deep pause heavy with ill and neither spoke to disintegrate it. In truth there was really little else to say between them. Hector no longer wanted to give breath to the situation at hand and his daughter had already made up her mind. Without another word said the young woman turned about-face and trotted out of the doorway.

From behind the meaningless words of her parent echoed after. "And where to you think you're going to run off to? I've already informed the Guards that you are not to be let through!"

Elise didn't bother thinking over what he had said. In the end it wouldn't matter. She certainly had more respect for the Sentinels than he did, but she already knew what the deciding factor would be in the end. She rushed out into the underground bunker and retrieved her Falcon, heading out at a tentative pace at first. It only took a minute to reach the gate at the front of the cobbled drive. To either side stood an Acolyte, obscured in white with a golden, duel-pronged staff erect at their side. The one to the right of the gate stepped forward and to the front of the vehicle. Elise stopped and the individual came to stand by the craft's driver. The man removed his hood and mask, revealing an individual hearty yet kind.

This was Michael, Overseer of every single Soldier assigned to protect and serve the citizens of Soleanna. He was in his early thirties with no wife but a son under the care of his blood-mother. This man was not one for long winded conversations, particularly dealing with his family. When he did speak his words held thought and reason. Even so, his prowess with arms and warfare concealed most, if not all, of his otherwise goodly nature. He had been among the guard since he was sixteen, trained by his deceased father who had as well assisted Soleanna and its high family. As such, he had grown under the law of her mother.

When he spoke he never used flattery, instead went straight to the point. "Forgive me, your Highness. I was informed that you are to remain on manor grounds for the time being."

"I figured as much," Elise whispered. "Please, Michael, I have to go. Something is going to happen and I think I know a way to stop it." When he didn't respond she continued. "You can trust me. My father doesn't want me to leave because he's the cause. You have to believe me."

"Enlighten me," was all he responded with.

Elise sighed. "Have you ever heard of a man named Ivo Robotnik?"

"The Robotnik name itself is well known to me. Ivo himself I believe was once the tyrannical Emperor of Forest-Down after he had usurped it from its true heirs."

At first there were no words to exemplify the shock at how accurately he had answered her question. Maybe this would make things just a bit easier.

"Okay then, well my dad struck some kind of deal with him. And you must know that that's a bad thing, right?"

For a brief second there wasn't an answer. "That is a very strong accusation, your Highness."

"Please, Michael. You know I have no reason to lie about something like this. I love my dad, no matter what he does. But if it might put a lot of people in danger than what choice do I have?"

The guard blinked slowly, never removing his gaze. "Fine," he breathed. "If what you say is true, that the Emperor may have created a pact with Dr. Robotnik, than we must all be on high alert. I'll increase patrols while you're away. I can't believe I'm allowing you to go through with this." His eyes caught hers more intensely for a moment and to Elise the man she had always trusted with her life suddenly looked much older than he truly was. "You are certainly your mother's daughter. And that fact alone is what allows me to have faith in you for the time being."

The head guard stepped off to the side and raised his free hand. The azure gateway that separated the manor's inlet from the rest of Old Soleanna unfurled, revealing a view of the Reachway Bridge aching over the city's bay. There was also a rear road that curved the landmass itself but the bridge itself was the fastest and less chaotic way both to and from the manor.

When the slope ended and into the city she drove everyday life had not taken a stand still. Other hovercrafts drove to and fro about their daily business. It was strange and she wondered if maybe anyone at all had noticed the prodigious airship hovering moments ago above the manor. From this point going was slow, time now spent in concentration. She was looking for someone. Someone very specific. She turned off towards the market place. If there was any place within the city the remainder of Sonic's comrades would gather it would have to be there. Then again... Everyone gathered there early in the morning.

The young woman slowed to a near halt, hovering amongst the crowd in an obviously displaced manner. The clustered mass of bodies did little to help the situation, nor the questioning stares. An anthro would so easily be drown in this unpredictable swarm. Even so, there were no anthros that she knew of that made their home in Soleanna, visiting perhaps. Elise wracked her brain for deeply imbedded memories of her past life before the paradox. The first and most vivid one was of a yellow, two-tailed fox that she believed was Sonic's side-kick -for lack of a better word. Soon others began cropping up. There were other hedgehogs involved, as well as a cat, a bat, and an echidna. All anthros. Other than that such minute details escaped her. Well, if any of them were within the city she hoped that just their presence would trigger some kind of memory relapse.

There! A flicker of color caught her eye for a second. She pulled over and tried to crane her neck over the stuffy passerbys. It was Gregorio's old flower shop. At first her heart sunk and for a second she thought that the image had just been an illusion conjured by the flowers. No, wait...

Elise landed her hovercraft against the side street and hopped out, evading citizens as she went along. She made a somewhat skid to a halt in front of the fragrant bouquets. The movement must have startled the individual as she swiftly turned to see who had so suddenly came upon her.

She was a short hedgehog with fur the same hue as a young lover's rose. She wore a light blue tank-top outlined in white and dark mini-skirt with a jean-jacket to offset the colder morning as it slowly made its way to noon. Wide uni-eye bore into her with a look that nearly screamed 'what the Hell?' For a second Elise believed she had gotten the wrong individual.

Heart pounding and breath labored the Princess blurted out, "are you Amy Rose?"

"Y-yes," the hedgehog finally responded.

"I am so sorry for scaring you. But, I need to talk to you about something. You know a fox named Tails?"

The anthro suddenly struck a defensive pose, perhaps gaining a bit more ground in her mind after the initial jolt.

"Who wants to know?"

"Please, it's important. It has to do with Sonic."

Those emerald irises turned wide in shock and worry, the individual becoming frantic almost. "Sonic? What about Sonic? What happened?"

Elise somewhat lied in the hopes to calm her down enough. "I don't know exactly. All I know is that he's in trouble and we have to find his friend Tails. Please, do you know where he is?"

The pink hedgehog paused a moment in thought and Elise worried that she was debating whether to trust this strange human or not. But, it wasn't at all what the Princess was expecting.

"You're Elise, aren't you? How do you know Sonic?"

"Who doesn't? But, we met at the Festival the other night."

The anthro didn't seem convinced by this excuse.

"Please, it is important. Sonic may be in dire trouble and it's my fault. I need your help."

Just for a moment the girl saw her counterpart soften. "Tails has an old lab on a floating island. He's been remodeling it lately and I'm sure that's where he'd be."

Elise smiled gingerly. "I have my hovercar with me if you can show me the way."

And though Amy was still unsure of this woman she smiled too and followed back through the crowd. It didn't surprise her that the royal had a Kenley Falcon. It was a particularly high-end Hovercraft, beautifully streamline and with a paint job to mirror the fiery Noble's locks. It a way it was unsettling for Amy who couldn't pin point exactly why. In the end they both hopped in and Elise started off again, swerving around and heading off to the Soleanna Terminal.

While traveling vast distances involved either Personal Planes or public Hovertrams it was possible for those attempting this in a simple Hovercar to do so. The advancement in technology was new by a half-decade but still needed some kinks worked out of it. Essentially it was like a teleporter launchpad for transportation vehicles unable to raise more than three feet off the ground. Elise drove across the outskirts of the city, towards the main highway and boarded. There was a specialized exit about a mile down, a check-point to allow clearance.

"Where exactly is Tails' lab?" Elise asked as they sped past other leisurely travelers.

"It's called Koko Island. Tails told me it was once a part of the Echidna Nations."

"So it's somewhere in the vicinity of the Western Islands?"

"Yeah."

"Alright then!"

Despite everything that was happening Elise really couldn't help but feel some excitement through it all. Granted fear was still writhing through her mind like a mass of venomous serpents, fear for Sonic and fear for her country. Even fear for her father who now appeared to her to be starting a slow decent into madness. But still, this was her first chance to prove her worth. It might even be her last and only. If anything this was for herself, to show that she was not a perfectly pampered little princess. She could be courageous and get her hands bloody. Hopefully that last part was only a metaphor.

The tunnel was fast approaching. Once inside a computerized GPS would ask to record their destination. From there it would adjust the signals on their vehicle to give it enough thrust to maintain a much higher altitude than was the norm. Aside from this it also gave a needed jump via a warp gate on the other end, making travel fast and efficient. After paying a toll of-course.

This was all a rather new thing for Amy. The only other place she had ever seen such advancement had been on an accidental journey to South Island years ago, where she had met Sonic for the first time. Lost in her train of thought a mere instant was all it took. In the next the blackness had turned to the sweet blue of the higher atmosphere, the air thick and moist but cool and refreshing all the same. In the distance, hidden amongst cloud-cover like a silken curtain, came into view a scattering of levitating clumps of soil. Some of them did form actual flattened shapes that could be landed on, but thus far none of them were wide enough to be considered an island at all. No, there was only one in particular that needed to be found through this maze. It was one of the last remaining of the rapidly deteriorating landmasses of the Western Islands.

The afternoon felt particularly fierce as a golden fox anthrope whipped a gloved paw against his throbbing forehead. To his vast amazement the collapsible runway used for the takeoff and landing of the Tornado -aside from it's incarnation the Cyclone- was able to unfurl fully. Getting it back, however, was another statement entirely. In truth he wasn't even going to attempt to crank it back in. With the way his luck was going it would either get permanently stuck or entirely break apart. Both causing more work that could be avoided simply with an efficient but thorough cleaning and tune-up.

Currently he rested with his exposed stomach against the broiling tar, lock-wrench in one hand and slick oilcan in another. Every bone in his body cracked as he leaning over the far end of the ramp to inspect the intricate wire webbing beneath. His muscles burned as he sat back up, sighing heavily and turning his muzzle up to be graced by a passing gust of fresh, northern winds. His sensitive ears caught the subtle rev of a plane's engine in the distance. At first he didn't think anything of it. Normally passenger planes didn't pass by the island, fearful of the floating boulders that had a tendency to drift every so often from their expected orbit. Than he thought it was a personal one. Okay then, for what reason would one be so close?

Tails focused his aqua irises to make out cloud from land due to the glare of the sun. A sharp reflection off cast from something metallic and he centered then on that. Finally placing a greasy glove up to shield his squinting eyes reveled the questioned culprit. A shiver ran up his spine despite the overwhelming, uncovered heat. It was a crimson hovercar, one he didn't know the owner of. That wasn't what had made him cringe. No, it was the figure of an eerily familiar hedgehog furred in pink waving hysterically over the exposed windshield.

A short time after the vehicle gently touched down on the nearly perfect strip with Amy hopping acrobatically out.

"Hey, Tails!"

"Amy?" He stood and whipped himself off as best he could, grim nearly covering every inch of his fur, vest, and pants. "What's going on? And who-"

He turned his sight back to the car and the revelation struck hard. A beautiful young woman stepped out and slammed the car door shut behind. The anthro fell to one knee.

"Forgive me your Highness. If I-"

His next words were cut short. "Please," Elise began, "you don't have to do that," her speech coming out in an almost tentative, ashamed manor.

Tails stood, confusion outlining his features.

"Well, she's the reason I'm here." Amy broke the uneasy silence. "She says there's something wrong with Sonic, but she wouldn't tell me though. She wanted you."

"Alright?"

Everyone could tell that he was still unsure of the whole situation. But, that didn't stop him from regaining his composure. "Come on inside. It might be better to talk in the shade." Looking up to the sky he added, "before Solaris bakes us alive."

Tails lead them down into the bowels of the launch pad, which farther in existed his research facility. Elise had to bend inwards to avoid striking her head on grimy piping and exposed bolts, being careful to watch where she tread. The actual computer equipment of which Tails prided himself in wasn't all that far down. It was just the fact that the structure was obviously designed for much smaller individuals. He lead them into, what could possibly be described as, a meager sitting room with a small table and only one set of chairs. But this dilemma was simply eradicated by the kind fox presenting a new one from a back room covered in the distance by yet more wiring and tubing. Afterwards they all sat down, waiting for an explanation.

Elise took a deep breath, preparing herself while gathering her thoughts. "Sonic has been captured by Dr. Robotnik. And it's my fault."

Amy and Tails remained silent, expressions mirroring each other in horror. Then, without warning, the entire group had their hearts set into overdrive as a sudden wail ignited from one of the many monitors surrounding them.

-**END** **OF CHAPTER**-

Author's Notes:

In the original fiction titled the 'Metal Sonic Events' Sonic was never successfully roboticized. Instead his frantic struggling caused the machine to go haywire and activate one of Ivo's old attempts at making a Sonic robot. The 'Metal Sonic Events' was a combination of both the Sonic Anime/Movie and the game Sonic CD/Boom.

In NAA Ivo is more like a demented -but capable- scientist than the blundering idiot he is often made out to be in other Sonic series such as the games and TV shows. As stated above he was originally more inclined to help others -as the Robotnik bloodline was once well known for. It was thanks to an anthro known as Oasis and her own incentive that drove him in his younger years to search for the Chaos Emeralds -which were at one point called Soul Keys for good reason. It was thanks to the negative energies given off by them that slowly warped his mind into the state it is current. The drive for them, as well as the 'need' to best all those who oppose him, is what still warps his sense of things. Eventually he becomes so far gone that he turns murderous and thus concocts a plan to destroy all organic matter on Möbius that leads to the events in 'Apocalypse,' the second-to-last series in the NAA Timeline.

Ivo Robotnik is really ever called Eggman tauntingly, in similar standards to Robuttnik or Egghead. He is never again just called Robotnik after the 'ARK Events' which is NAA's adaption of SA2. It is out of respect for Maria and Gerald -aside from Shadow who also takes the Robotnik surname. Before knowing this Sonic and the FF used the term 'Robotnik' as an insult.

Sonic is indeed a royal. Ivo is one of the few who know this. He, along with his siblings Manic and Sonia, are the last of the Chrysanthos bloodline -those born of Mobodoon, the center of the Empire of Forest-Down, before it was taken over/destroyed by Ivo. Current to this fic Knothole and the remaining members of the Acorn family hold that position.

I only touch very briefly on Elise the Second (Elise's mother) for the main fact that later on in the series Elise will give a full explanation to Sonic about her mother's death. Giving just a bit of insight, the Möbius of NAA has Anthros being treated by humans as lesser beings. This is similarly along the lines of Africans back in post-colonial America -minus being enslaved for the most part. As such, within most Human-overseen/controlled/majority inhabited Empires (at this period in the timeline) they are not given full rights and are instead treated as second citizens.

The Lands of the Sky are separated into four -North, East, South and West. South island is basically the mega-metropolis of all Möbius. East Island is like China in our would while both North and West Island were at one point controlled by the Echidnas and were such called the Echidna Nations. Current to the Timeline West Island is just a mass of ruins while the remaining Echidna population take up residence on North Island. Even though the name is singular it really refers to the general vicinity whereas all but South Island consists of multiple smaller islands within their control.

I apologize for updating rather slowly. Because of the fandom for this and other works of fiction I will be starting to read Reviews again. However, I am disabling Anonymous Reviews. So please, if you wish to get a hold of me either create an account or Sign In.

~With Sincerest Thanks~


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